The Edmonton Space Sciences Centre is situated in Edmonton,
Alberta. It was completed in 1983 at a final cost of $18 M - both
below budget and ahead of schedule. The saucer-shaped building
occupies 57,000 square feet of land.
The Space Sciences Centre was proposed during the last months of
the Alberta oil boom to replace the 1959 Queen Elizabeth
Planetarium. Cardinal designed it purely on speculation. His design
consisted of a circular spiked fin surrounding the building's
central tower, suspended by cables which spiraled the main
building. Inside, one room was designed to be both an IMAX theatre
and star chamber. The bureaucrats loved it, and so he won the
commission. Upon completion, the Centre became a monument dedicated
to the 75th anniversary of the founding of Alberta.
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