Edmonton City Hall
Encyclopedia
Edmonton's City Hall was designed by Dub Architects, and completed in 1992. It features two steel and glass pyramids, one 43 meters high (ground to peak), on top of a three-story concrete structure. One pyramid provides natural light for the main atrium, the other for the council chambers. The building also features a 200-foot clock tower topped with a 25-bell carillon.
Edmonton's City Hall met with some controversy when it was first announced. The original designs called for the building to be topped with five cones
. The cones were meant to pay tribute to the tipis that the First Nations
once lived in on the site. The design met with much negative feedback from the public, and was dubbed "the Cone Dome" by the press. Dub Architects then revised their design to replace the cones with the pyramids, with the pyramids designed to be evocative of the Rocky Mountains
. The design was received much more warmly by the public, and was dubbed "Pyramid Power" by the press.
Located on the eastern edge of the financial district in Edmonton's downtown
, the building is the main feature on Sir Winston Churchill Square
. In the winter, the fountain is converted to a skating rink.
Edmonton's City Hall met with some controversy when it was first announced. The original designs called for the building to be topped with five cones
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
. The cones were meant to pay tribute to the tipis that the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
once lived in on the site. The design met with much negative feedback from the public, and was dubbed "the Cone Dome" by the press. Dub Architects then revised their design to replace the cones with the pyramids, with the pyramids designed to be evocative of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. The design was received much more warmly by the public, and was dubbed "Pyramid Power" by the press.
Located on the eastern edge of the financial district in Edmonton's downtown
Downtown Edmonton
Downtown Edmonton is bounded by 109 Street to the west, 105 Avenue to the north, 97 Street to the east, 97 Avenue, 100 Avenue, and Rossdale Road to the south and Jasper Avenue to the southeast , though many people consider part or all of the surrounding neighborhoods to be part of downtown...
, the building is the main feature on Sir Winston Churchill Square
Churchill Square (Edmonton)
thumb|300px|right|Churchill Square looking towards [[Edmonton City Hall|City Hall]]Churchill Square is the main downtown square in Edmonton, Alberta, which plays host to a large majority of festivals and events including: the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, Edmonton Fashion...
. In the winter, the fountain is converted to a skating rink.