Royal Ontario Museum expansion by Daniel Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind is one of the most talked about architects in our days. He has designed many prominent buildings around the world, the most famous of which currently is probably one not yet built: The master plan of the new WTC to replace the WTC buildings destroyed on 9/11.  But one of his most recent buildings is the extension to the Royal Ontario Museum.

The Royal Ontario Museum  project set out to renovate ten new galleries
in the existing historical building and creating an extension to the
museum, now called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.  This new extension
provides innovative new architecture and the creation of a grand public
attraction with 100,000 sq. ft. of new exhibition space.  Situated at
one of the most prominent intersections in down town Toronto, the Museum
has become a dynamic centre for the city.

So, in addition to carrying out the renovations to the existing buildings, Studio Daniel Libeskind, in a joint
venture with B+H Architects, has created a new wing for the Museum, the
Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.  Approximately half of this building is
devoted to gallery space, while the ground floor features a spacious
new entrance and lobby as well as a new retail shop accessible directly
from the street.  Also included are three new restaurants, the most
spectacular of which is located on the Crystal’s fifth floor, which
cantilevers over the existing West Wing galleries and provides
panoramic views of down town.

The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal derives its name from the building’s five
intersecting volumes, which are reminiscent of crystals.  The
intersection of two of the crystals, each of which is dedicated to new
galleries, creates a void, known as the Spirit House.  Essentially a
large atrium rising from below ground level to the fourth floor, and
containing a number of criss-crossing bridges at various levels, the
Spirit House is intended to be a place for visitors to reflect upon the
exhibitions they have experienced in one of the gallery spaces before
moving on to the next.  A fourth crystal, known as the Stair of
Wonders, is dedicated to vertical circulation but also features
exhibition displays at the landings.  A fifth crystal houses the major
new restaurant. 

The Lee-Chin Crystal building envelope consists of two layers, a
water-shedding skin covered by champagne coloured anodized aluminium
extrusions that shimmer in the sunlight, and in the night-time pick up
the glow of the city.  Approximately 20 percent of the façade is
pierced by stunning windows that provide views out of the building, but also into the building and the galleries, thereby furthering the link between the Museum and passers-by.

Technical Details:
Building Area:
18,600 sq.m. (186,000 sq.ft)

Building Details:
7 Floors
7 New Galleries
8 Renovated Galleries (to date)
3 New Restaurant
1 Retail Space
Lobby, Offices, Support Spaces

Structure:
Steel structure with aluminium cladding and glass windows.

Credits:
Joint Venture Partner:

Bregman+ Hamann Architects


Contractor:

Vanbots Construction Corp

Structural Engineer:

Arup (London), Halsall

Landscape Architect:

Quinn Design Associates

Mechanical Engineer:

Arup (London), TMP

Electrical Engineer:

Arup (London), MBII

Heritage Consultant:

ERA

Acoustic Consultant:

Valcoustics

Life Safety Consultant:

Leber/Rubes Inc.