This spring, Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) students took on the challenge of transforming a familiar piece of Calgary’s streetscape into an unexpected site for creative and technologically advanced exploration.
Students Patty Hamilton, Cormac Reader, Wonho Park, Charlie Leckenby, Saniya Rai and Lina Boos presented their design concepts to a panel of industry experts at Wave Tech Centre. Guided by Anahita Mosayebi, LTA Faculty at AUArts, the students developed their ideas through the ideation and design phases of the project.
The Urban Layers project is a collaboration between AUArts, the University of Calgary’s (UCalgary) School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL), and The City of Calgary (The City). AUArts’ Object Design and Digital Fabrication students were invited to reimagine concrete jersey barriers by designing 3D-printed structures for fabrication by a Large-Scale 3D Printing Robotic Arm.
Rooted in The City’s Information Technology Smart Cities program focused on testing and delivering value-driven, technology-enabled solutions for Calgary, the collaboration became an opportunity to bring together complementary forms of expertise from all three partners. With 2026 marking significant anniversaries for both AUArts and UCalgary (AUArts’ Centennial and UCalgary’s 60th birthday), the Urban Layers project offered an exciting opportunity for a groundbreaking partnership.
The Urban Layers project challenged AUArts students to consider how art and design can reshape everyday urban spaces and transform functional infrastructure into meaningful public encounters. The students were invited to interpret one of three themes: Canadian Cityscapes and Landscapes, Honouring 100 Years of AUArts or Canadian Wildlife, and responded with original sculpture concepts designed to attach to the low concrete jersey barriers that guard construction sites, sidewalks and streetside patios throughout the city.
The students’ proposals had to demonstrate critical thinking about form, storytelling and material possibilities while considering the needs of collaborating across disciplines to test how artistic ideas can move from concept to fabrication and into the public realm.
In April, the shortlisted students pitched their ideas to a jury of experts from AUArts, UCalgary and The City’s Mobility and Smart Cities teams, gaining firsthand experience presenting creative work in a professional context while engaging with the technical and practical considerations that shape public-facing design. The jury considered the students’ visual design and thematic ideas alongside logistical issues such as how the elements of each proposed sculpture could be manufactured and mounted, whether drivers and pedestrians could interact safely with the designs, and whether the proposed sculptures would hold up against Calgary’s natural elements and weather.
Bringing together expertise in art and design, architecture, robotics research, and civic innovation, Urban Layers created space for experimentation and shared learning across institutions. Four winning concepts were selected for fabrication, and in the next phase of the project, UCalgary’s SAPL faculty and students will translate the artists’ concepts into technical designs and test the manufacturing process using the robotic arm and large-scale 3D concrete and plastic printing technology available at Wave Tech Centre and UCalgary.
The Urban Layers project demonstrates how collaboration between creative and technical disciplines can shape the future of our city. This summer, Calgarians will encounter the first of the jersey barrier sculpture installations on their daily commutes and city travels; one of the sculptures will be unveiled downtown as a pilot project, where the work will be tested and experienced within the city’s urban landscape. Stay tuned for the summer reveal!
