The opening of the Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation this July represents the dawn of a new era at The Banff Centre. This 22,000-square-foot facility is an interdisciplinary crossroads – a meeting place where innovative arts and ideas, and creative leadership will flourish.

The first thing you notice when you walk into the Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation is the light. Natural light spills through every public space, infusing this new building with a sense of openness and possibility. The second thing you notice isn’t in the Kinnear Centre at all. Thanks to the architectural genius of Diamond & Schmitt, one of Canada’s top design firms, mountain vistas and limitless skies fill the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The Kinnear Centre will support intensive learning opportunities for the thousands of artists and leaders who attend Centre programs and conferences every year. Its flexible learning spaces, state-of-the-art audiovisual systems, and generous informal meeting areas will draw participants together, and spark new dialogue and collaboration.

The Paul D. Fleck Library & Archives new location in the Kinnear Centre means the resources of this remarkable collection are more accessible to all of the Centre’s participants. And throughout the Kinnear Centre you will find art from The Banff Centre Permanent Collection, showcasing the Centre 77-year creative legacy. But the heartbeat of the Kinnear Centre is the programming that will take place inside these interdisciplinary spaces. Those creative and professional development opportunities will be supported by the $28 million raised through the Campaign for The Banff Centre to enhance programming and to provide scholarship assistance to emerging and established artists and leaders.

Throughout the construction of the Kinnear Centre, respect for the environment has been key. The building incorporates energy efficient heating and cooling systems, LED lighting, and innovative water conservation measures. Over 75 per cent of construction waste generated has been recycled, and the Kinnear Centre has been designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Green Building Rating System® standards.