Royal Ontario Museum
: News Release 1 May 2007 from Daniel Libeskind
Michael Lee-Chin Crystal
2002-07
All images: Courtesy Studio Daniel Libeskind
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
Renaissance ROM
opened 1 June 2007
Extension to the Royal Ontario Museum: The Crystal - text from Daniel
Libeskind:
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
The program of the Royal Ontario Museum provides a wonderful opportunity
for dramatic new architecture and the creation of a great public attraction.
The centrality of the site intensifies the profound relationship between
history and the new, between tradition and innovation. The historical
buildings, complemented by forward-looking and bold architecture, form
an ensemble which regenerates the urban significance of the Museum, solves
the complex functional issues, and dramatically improves exhibitions,
facilities, programming and amenities. The Crystal, a structure of organically
interlocking prismatic forms, asserts the primacy of participatory space
and public choreography. Its image, function and structure turn this important
corner of Toronto into a luminous beacon, a veritable showcase of people,
events and objects, transforming the entire museum complex into a world-class
destination.
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
The sculptural composition of architectural forms radiates from the centrality
of the entrance crystal gathering at its centre, the urban vitality of
Bloor Street. A new group entrance on Queen’s Park is provided, whilst
Philosopher’s Walk is marked and enlivened by a new entrance to the
panoramic restaurant up above.
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
The visitors enter into a spectacular atrium in which the two themes of
the Museum, Nature and Culture, are distinctly thematized through the
interlocking spatial volumes with tantalizing glimpses of the exhibitions
above. The entire ground level is unified into a seamless space from North
to South and from East to West. The resulting clarity of circulation and
access creates a transparency in which the inherited architecture and
new construction form an equilibrium of imaginative unity.
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
The well-tested presentation of Nature and Culture are not only updated
through interactive technology but are visualized within the true magic
and power of physically built space. One could imagine this building as
a place where the public is engaged in an ongoing drama rather than a
static 19th century museum which suggests that nature has been conquered
and culture has been archived.
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
This building tells a unique and a particular story which crystallizes
ROM’s programmatic content and the singularity of the site. The Crystal
transforms the secretive and fortress-like character of ROM, turning it
into an inspired atmosphere dedicated to the resurgence of the Museum
as the dynamic centre of Toronto.
Daniel Libeskind
Berlin, Feb 4, 2002
Image:
finest-images, © ROM 2006. All rights reserved.
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
Royal Ontario
Museum : Daniel Libeskind
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
Address:
Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada
Client:
Royal Ontario Museum
Building Area:
18,600 sqm (186,000 sq.ft)
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
Structure:
Steel structure with aluminum cladding and glass facade.
Services Provided:
Complete architectural services from inception to completion, renovation
of existing museum building.
Building Cost:
USD 94 Million
Image from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
Budget:
USD 154 Million (including exhibition)
Credits:
Associate Architect: Bregman + Hamann Architects
Structural Engineers: Arup
Toronto buildings
Toronto building
American buildings
Image: Miller Hare, © ROM 2006. All rights reserved
Toronto Architecture
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Images from Daniel Libeskind Architects 3 May 2007
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