Canada’s Alberta provincial government will donate a pavilion to the Alpensia ski resort in Gangwon Province to commemorate the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 and a 40-year provincial alliance.

Alberta’s senior representative for the Asia-Pacific basin, Ron Hoffmann, the Canadian Ambassador Eric Walsh, managing director of the Alberta Korea Office, Gregory Baker, participated in the unveiling ceremony at the resort on Wednesday.

The pavilion will use high-quality wood ― spruce, pine and fir ― imported from Alberta’s mountains, and advanced Canadian building techniques to create a building that encapsulates the natural landscape of Gangwon Province.

The woods will be imported by Canada Wood, and the design will be created by the SOLTOS Architects.

The Gangwondo Development Corporation provided the land for the construction, and support for the preliminary construction and landscape architecture. It will also oversee the building maintenance during and after the Olympics.

The provinces of Alberta and Gangwon established Korea’s first provincial partnership in 1974, and expanded cooperation in culture and arts, sports, environment, agriculture and stockbreeding and investment and trade.

Marking the 30th anniversary of ties, and 100th anniversary of the establishment of Alberta provincial government, Gangwon provincial government donated a traditional Korean pavilion, “Gangwon Pavilion,” to Alberta in 2004.

(joel@heraldcorp.com)