TORONTO | Renaissance ROM Development News [Archive]

hkskyline

March 17th, 2005, 07:58 AM

Renaissance ROM Update
Phase One Heritage Galleries will open on December 15, 2005
February 24, 2005

The Board of Trustees of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has confirmed an adjusted schedule of openings for the Renaissance ROM expansion and renovation project. As originally planned, the first wave of restored heritage galleries in the existing buildings will open on December 15, 2005 (see below). During the summer of 2006, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal will open to the public. The second phase of heritage galleries will open through December 2006 and early 2007.

“The Renaissance ROM project remains substantially on time and on budget,” said William Thorsell, Director and CEO of the ROM. “ The opening of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal will simply move to halfway between the Phase One and Phase Two Heritage Galleries openings. The Crystal’s unique design requires a six-month extension to the original construction schedule of the new wing of the Museum, normal for a construction project of this scope and complexity. We intend to deliver the highest quality museum experience to the public.”

The gallery design process is now 100 % complete, under the direction of Haley Sharpe Design and the ROM’s in-house curators and technical experts. The gallery design teams have delivered gallery designs that bring almost twice as many artifacts out for public display in the new and restored galleries. Tenders have been decided for the fabrication and installation of gallery cases and displays, and it is expected that Phase One gallery spaces will be turned over to the fabricators (of display cases, flooring, lighting etc.) beginning in April 2005. Artifact installation will follow for the Asian galleries (in the heritage Philosophers’ Walk building) and the Gallery of Canada: First Peoples (in the Weston Heritage Building).

Graywood Developments Ltd. was confirmed as the selected partner for the proposed redevelopment of 90 Queen’s Park. The Board authorized staff to enter into negotiations with Graywood on a project for the Museum-owned site of the former Planetarium that will include residential and Museum uses. This capital development is not included in the scope of the current Renaissance ROM project.

Revised Schedule for Renaissance ROM:

Phase One Heritage Galleries: December 15, 2005

Michael Lee-Chin Crystal: Summer 2006

Phase Two Heritage Galleries: December 2006 through early 2007

PHASE ONE HERITAGE GALLERIES
Opening Date: December 15, 2005

Approximately 90,000 square feet of public space:
T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art
Matthews Family Chinese Sculpture Court
Bishop White Gallery of Chinese Temple Art
Gallery of Chinese Architecture
Herman Herzog Levy Gallery
Gallery of Korea
Prince Takamado Gallery of Japan
Gallery of Canada: First Peoples
A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery of Ancient Cyprus
Gallery of Bronze Age Greece
Rotunda Café
Samuel Hall H Currelly Gallery
Learning Centre
Theatre ROM, to be renamed in honour of Signy & Cléophée Eaton
Lower Rotunda

Temporary Exhibitions:
Lalique in Canada - Samuel European Galleries
Korea Around 1900: The Paintings of Gisan - H.H. Levy Gallery

Skybean

May 19th, 2005, 11:18 PM

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/547/2507rom1.jpg

3tmk

May 20th, 2005, 12:02 AM

Talk about a weird framework!
That thing is confusing!

Ashok

May 20th, 2005, 03:59 PM

Wow ! thats looks great !

elliot

May 21st, 2005, 10:56 PM

Everytime I see this creature I'm not sure if it is progressing or has recently collapsed with many casualties... nuts.

Who want's to be the project manager on this one?

Brett

May 22nd, 2005, 04:29 AM

looks a lot farther along then it did last summer!

Skybean

June 24th, 2005, 08:27 PM

Final Major Steel Beam Arrives at ROM for Michael Lee-Chin Crystal

Beam will be signed by ROM donors and workers before Topping Off Ceremony in mid-July.

(Toronto, Ontario – June 24, 2005) The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) announced the arrival of the steel beam that will be raised in a Topping Off Ceremony to mark the completion of the steel structure of the new Museum addition, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. The 40-foot long, three-pronged beam has been painted white and was delivered at the construction site already bearing the signatures of employees of Walters Inc., the steel fabricators for the Renaissance ROM expansion project. Steelworkers, construction workers, project engineers, Museum staff, and major donors to the Renaissance ROM project will also sign the beam.

The Topping Off ceremony is expected to be held on Tuesday, July 12, 2005, when the large signed beam will be hoisted into its final position at a height of about 70 feet, directly over the new main entrance to the Crystal on Bloor Street West. Topping Off ceremonies are a historic tradition in construction projects, held to celebrate the completion of the structure of a building. It is customary to raise the signed final beam decorated with flags; an evergreen tree is also raised to mark an accident-free construction site.

The next stage of construction includes fireproofing the steel beams, installing metal decks and concrete floors, and conducting cladding surveys. The first cladding will be placed in Fall 2005. The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal is scheduled to open to the public during summer of 2006.

As part of Renaissance ROM, the first of the new and renovated galleries, including a new wing devoted to Far Eastern art and archaeology and a new gallery for Canadian First Peoples, will open in the Museum’s heritage buildings in December 2005.

For more information on Renaissance ROM, please visit www.rom.on.ca/renaissance

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/hyatt02.jpg

Dino Domingo

June 25th, 2005, 03:20 AM

Wow! :)

Urban Dave

June 25th, 2005, 04:43 PM

100% Libeskind!

Qatar4Ever

June 25th, 2005, 09:57 PM

amazingly stupied..

moxwax

June 26th, 2005, 02:54 AM

Jose Luis

June 26th, 2005, 05:13 AM

rise_against

June 26th, 2005, 05:23 AM

^ i agree Libeskind is a visonary who is not afraid to take a chance, and pull it off to become a landmark.

KGB

June 26th, 2005, 05:34 AM

Without placing judment on aestetics, the dream of most architects is to cultivate a look for their architecture, so that when someone looks at one of their buildings, it is recognized as one of "theirs". Libeskind has managed to do this, and in that sense, he is very successful. The only time architecture is "bad", is when it's obvious the architect didn't even try.

KGB

Skyscrapercitizen

June 26th, 2005, 05:39 AM

I don't agree KGB. There are many architects who design out of concept, and their designs are not recognized as theirs in the first place. Koolhaas' OMA is an example, as well as its 'child' MVRDV.

But then we are talking about a different type of architecture then the Calatrava's and Gehry's of this world. :cheers:

staff

June 26th, 2005, 10:58 AM

Crazy design! I like it!

Skybean

July 13th, 2005, 08:03 PM

Copied from Lucky24 at the Toronto forum

It's Crystal clear: ROM will be city's wow centre

CHRISTOPHER HUME

There was cheering in the streets yesterday as the final part of the steel structure was put in place at the Royal Ontario Museum's addition, the Crystal.

Who said modern architecture wasn't popular?

Designed by Daniel Libeskind, he of the much-criticized Freedom Tower in New York, the $211 million project has been under construction at the corner of Bloor St. W. and Queen's Park Cres. for more than a year. Though it won't open for another year, already the extraordinary angularity of its jutting planes is plain for all to see.

Libeskind, who flew in for the occasion from, well, he's not sure where, couldn't have been happier.

"It's thrilling," he spluttered, beaming. "Nothing could be as exhilarating as seeing the building take shape in reality."

Interestingly, the Crystal now going up bears a striking resemblance to the felt-pen napkin drawings Libeskind entered in the design competition launched three years ago. They were quick sketches, tossed off at Jamie Kennedy's old restaurant at the ROM, but, strangely enough, they remain remarkably accurate.

That will inevitably change as the glass and extruded aluminium cladding are put in place. Then the Crystal could actually start to look like a crystal, or at least an architectural version of one. Which is to say it will fall somewhere between the organic and the man-made.

Libeskind's brilliance lies in his ability to produce chaos within clarity, disorder within order. The Crystal is an explosion of forms frozen in space. It dispenses with the orthogonal orthodoxies of traditional architecture in one fell swoop.

Needless to say, Toronto has never seen anything like it.

"Architecture is a very good beacon of the future," Libeskind argues. "And the future is bright. We're better informed now. There is more knowledge today."

Clearly, whatever else Libeskind may be, he's a diehard optimist. Where others see decline and deterioration, he sees the "messiness of democracy."

Even the seemingly endless machinations at Ground Zero that have turned his Freedom Tower into the world's first bunkered skyscraper have not left him angry, frustrated or embittered. Libeskind smiles and insists that the universe is unfolding as it should.

"I don't want to minimize the struggles I'm having," he confesses. "They can be brutal. But in the end it will be better. Ironically, it has come closer to my original idea."

No wonder Toronto inspires such an outpouring of enthusiasm.

"This is a great city," he declares. "The ROM has been a great experience for me, with such a great client. It's so beautiful to be here. Canada has managed to remain a very balanced country."

As he also points out, Toronto is a city in transition.

"Pretty soon we're going to see big changes here," he says. "This is an ambitious city."

One of the biggest of those changes will happen at the ROM. An institution long known for its dourness is set to become the wow centre of Toronto, the must-see museum.

As ROM CEO William Thorsell notes, however, he's still looking for $60 million to complete the project. And he doesn't expect finding it will be easy; Toronto's philanthropic community is tapped out and he's hoping the federal-provincial infrastructure program will be good for maybe $28 million.

We'll see. If the politicos can wrap their minds around the fact that this represents an investment, not a frivolous expenditure, they'll find the cash in a flash.

For his part, Libeskind isn't about to downplay the importance of budgets. There are, he says quoting Walter Benjamin, five elements: earth, wind, water, fire and money.

"Cost is an important issue," he observes. "You need limits."

Who would disagree? The question is where those limits are set; in Toronto there's a sense they have been set too low for too long, but if the ROM is any indication, that's all changed.

Skybean

July 13th, 2005, 11:11 PM

Copied from Travis007 at the Toronto Forum

ROM chief expects uproar over 40-storey condo tower

By JAMES ADAMS

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 Page A7

The Royal Ontario Museum wants to build a 40-storey condominium tower on the current site of the McLaughlin Planetarium, and says it expects the development to generate controversy.

The plan has already encountered "some resistance from the city's planning department," William Thorsell, the director and CEO of the ROM, said in an interview yesterday.

It may take up to three years before construction begins on the project, which Mr. Thorsell acknowledged may be unpopular among those who feel the city is overburdened with high-rise condominium developments and among those who fundamentally oppose public-private partnerships.

Mr. Thorsell made his comments after joining architect Daniel Libeskind in a noon-hour "topping-off" ceremony at the museum to mark the completion of the steel skeleton of Mr. Libeskind's controversial new development.

The skeleton, composed of about 3,000 steel beams arrayed in five crystalline shapes, is to be clad in stainless steel, aluminum and glass and subdivided into about five storeys of exhibition, orientation, retail and restaurant space.

Located on Bloor Street West, the Crystal, as it has come to be known, is expected to be completed in the spring of 2006. It will be the ROM's architectural signature for the 21st century, wedged as it is between the museum's original 1914 building to the west and its 1933 east wing alongside Queen's Park.

The ROM wants to demolish the 37-year-old planetarium, closed since 2002, and recast it with Toronto-based Graywood Developments and, Mr. Thorsell hopes, the University of Toronto.

The ROM project would see 40 storeys of condominiums atop a "podium" that is 23 metres high, roughly the height of the 1933 wing. The podium would include ROM administrative and curatorial offices, laboratories and classrooms and, if the University of Toronto participates, room for the law and music faculties. Both faculties are housed in inadequate facilities to the south and west of the museum. Mr. Thorsell said he expects to hear whether the university plans to get involved by the end of this month.

In the meantime, Mr. Thorsell said he will go public with his plans for the McLaughlin site by the end of August.

The design for the site is being done by Brian Brisbin, senior partner in the Toronto firm of Brisbin Brook Beynon. The firm was recently picked to renovate Madison Square Garden in New York.

The tower, Mr. Thorsell said, will have "very high, very beautiful apartments. It's going to be the most beautiful residential building in the city -- and the most expensive, I would think."

The condominium would have "very, very little impact" on its immediate surroundings, he said. "Its shadow will fall on the ROM."

But the university and the Toronto and Ontario governments might be wary that the development would lead to more public-private partnerships.

The ROM needs the money from the redevelopment to help finance its ambitious Renaissance ROM plans, which call for more than 18,000 square metres of new and renovated exhibition space.

The cost for Renaissance ROM is expected to be $230-million, up about 15 per cent from projections done in 2002.

To date, the museum has raised $175-million of the $211-million it needs for its major capital costs.

The ROM hopes to raise another $20-million by the end of this year.

Bertez

July 14th, 2005, 02:21 AM

A while back the Toronto Star had a publishment on the new addidtion, and supposedly no two angles in the new structure (where the beams meet), are the same, along with no 90 degree angles.

Skybean

July 14th, 2005, 07:10 PM

The ROM's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal Topping Off Ceremony

The final major steel beam, signed by ROM staff and donors, was lifted into place at a Topping Off Ceremony on July 12, 2005, celebrating the completion of the structure of the new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal building.

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/to_thorsellandlibeskind.jpg
Daniel Libeskind, lead architect, and William Thorsell, Director, ROM sign the last beam. (w. dobrowlanski)

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/to_workers.jpg
Workers from Walters Inc., Vanbots Construction Corp., and Local 721 Iron Workers in front of finished structure. (b.boyle)

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/to_finalbeam3.jpg
The final beam is elevated, decorated with several flags and an evergreen tree to mark an accident-free construction site. (w. dobrowlanski)

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/to_finalbeam.jpg

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/to_finalbeam2.jpg

Zissou

July 15th, 2005, 12:02 AM

I like the addition. I think it not only adds to the beauty of the original building but it is quite unique and pleasant to look at on its own. Im not a fan of everything Libeskind does but I really like this project.

Grollo

July 15th, 2005, 01:39 AM

Fantastic building, This is the kind of architecture that Toronto needs more of!

elliot

July 17th, 2005, 03:37 PM

http://www.upside-down.ca/sdphotos/ROMcondo.jpg

clam_dude

July 17th, 2005, 04:30 PM

Is that the proposed condo tower??? Holy Macorolli

jonovision

July 17th, 2005, 04:45 PM

OMG!!! That is really something else! :omg: :eek2: :eek2:

seb5990

July 17th, 2005, 11:30 PM

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thryve

July 18th, 2005, 12:21 AM

...a ROM condo... a FILM FESTIVAL condo... a HUMMINGBIRD CENTRE condo... you know, that is one beautiful condo tower, but give T.O. 30 or so years and these condo towers tacked onto every type of development is going to seem as crude and outdated as all those apt. towers from the 60s and 70s... I wouldn't mind this but its most people that would.

rise_against

July 18th, 2005, 02:09 AM

It towers like that, that will be used in the future to define Architecture from the early century...i love it!!!

jonovision

July 18th, 2005, 05:24 AM

This tower is not the real proposal. All the other threads mentionning it say that someone on the forum created on they're own. Too bad, it would have been really nice!

Maksym

July 18th, 2005, 08:32 AM

Thanks for ruining a historic landmark. Can Toronto keep one historic building intact or should we just become NYC?

Skybean

July 21st, 2005, 09:49 PM

There's no historical landmark being ruined. The ugly concrete slab garden display was demolished to create the new addition.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
CITYSPACE: ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Raw metal is a major turn-on

Dark, rough to the touch, heavy enough to crush a man, steel is rarely left exposed. It's easy to figure out why, writes LISA ROCHON. It might upset our urbane sensibilities. How sweet it is then to be confronted with a real, heaving body

By LISA ROCHON

Thursday, July 21, 2005 Page R1

The most compelling work of architecture in this country right now is actually a construction site. Fronting the redevelopment of the Royal Ontario Museum in downtown Toronto is a massive steel structure that is raw and mysterious and dirty. Drywall and stucco cladding have neutralized North America. Exposed steel is a major turn-on. How sweet it is to be confronted with a real, heaving body. And how very contrary. Our buildings are most often placed under hygienic wraps, the naughty bits furtively imbedded within concrete or covered under cladding -- an act of sanitation that recalls the catchy refrain handed down by the Puritans, "I was conceived in Sin & Born in iniquity," doled out like gruel in the New England Primer in 1646. Thank you for that. I'll have another serving of steel.

The recipe for steel isn't pretty: about one part rusted cars to two parts coal and iron ore. There is nothing more macho than steel, nothing more frightening than people walking along beams 100 feet above the ground. And we're uncomfortable with the harsh terms ascribed to the workers -- there's the "raising gang," a team headed by a foreman and four erectors who wrestle steel beams hanging from cranes into submission, and the "bolting detail crew," whom we'd like to think of as team players equipped with laptops and BlackBerries rather than men wielding steel sledgehammers.

Dark, rough to the touch, heavy enough to crush a man, steel is rarely left exposed. It's easy to figure out why: It might upset our urbane sensibilities.

Some of the steel at the ROM comes from Brazil, but most of it comes from the United States in factories that are dirty and hot.

Walters Inc., the Hamilton-based steel erectors who have taken a stick drawing from architects and engineers and translated it into a three-dimensional structure with step-by-step instructions for assembly, may have worked on Regeneration Hall at the Canadian War Museum and the Ontario College of Art & Design, but they also build large industrial complexes, including scrubbers for American coal-generated power stations.

Most often, steel is mixed up in a class thing: Exposed steel is the building material of choice for blue-collar labourers, best hidden from city professionals. As for the ironworkers responsible for erecting the ROM's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, they earn about $30 an hour. They commuted to the job from places as far away as Niagara Falls. Five of the 30-member team are Mohawks. None of them can afford to live in Toronto.

While the workers are tough men with big forearms, they are given to moments of poetry. "Steel is extremely honest," says Brian Penny, site superintendent of Walters. "To me it has far more appeal than drywall. Drywall you can see anywhere." During the year that it took to raise up the structure, the workers started to feel the steel come alive. One enormous face in the shape of an X wears bolts like jewellery on a giant. They named some of the most extraordinary faces -- the Owl's Head and the Pinnacle -- with steel arranged at crazy angles from the ground.

For Daniel Libeskind, the design architect of the $211-million Renaissance ROM expansion project in joint venture with Bregman + Hamann Architects, exposed steel presents certain dangers. For one thing, in its mass, weight and rigidity, steel belongs to the physical world. Libeskind's interest is in abstract space. To him, the structural steel is not the body, it's a skeleton. Bury the thing. It's already served a purpose.

So, in the final ROM scheme, none of the steel will be left exposed. All of it will be disguised behind massive amounts of drywall or an anodized aluminum roof. There's too much to distract an audience looking upon an integrated truss system whereby 3,000 pieces of steel (each weighing about three tons) have been miraculously joined together. An enormous bird's beak in steel skims the 19th-century Darling & Pearson original west wing of the ROM, urging us to look upon the Royal Conservatory of Music or travel down Philosopher's Walk through the University of Toronto. Not one piece stands in a perfect vertical line. Chaos and disorder have been bolted together. If this was Russia 100 years ago, the structure might help to trigger a revolution.

Libeskind's dedication is in wowing us with multifaceted towers and catwalks that distort the scale of a building and make us feel overwhelmed by huge, disorienting spaces. The Holocaust Tower -- a dark, unheated, tomb-like space -- at Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin has the power to make you feel emotionally crippled. For Toronto, backed by the intelligent engineering of Halsall Associates, Libeskind is delivering the Spirit House, a towering, gyrating central void that begins within a basement exhibition space and rises up several storeys from the main entrance court. Libeskind wants to control the way that we think, and, ultimately, how we behave. Thoughts -- whether they be exhilarating or sanitized -- are easier to contain within drywall.

A restrictive fire code is often to blame for the architect's penchant for covering up steel. The truth is that a steel structure painted in tumescent paint meets the code. What's more, the strategy of wrap and hide -- the dishonesty of contemporary architecture -- is a concept that has grown tiresome for certain architects operating around the world. The visionary architect Renzo Piano, with Fox & Fowle Architects, is designing a 52-storey tower as an exposed steel structure for The New York Times headquarters. The structural frame will be celebrated for its muscle and lightness; a steel storefront will be a feature on the ground floor.

At the ROM, the last structural steel beam went in last week at the museum's topping-off ceremony. The iron workers have gone home. Cherish this moment at the ROM. Visit it like public art. The honesty of the steel is excruciating. It won't be long before the concrete is poured on all of the floors, the steel is sprayed with fire-proofing and the drywall is banged into place. The roof of anodized aluminum functions mostly as skin. The real roof that does the hard work of managing Toronto's weather is buried underneath, tucked away from public view. That's another manoeuvre meant to save us from the reality of the Canadian winter.

Walter Koppelaar, president of Walters Inc., is carrying on a steel-contracting business that his father started in the 1950s as a Dutch immigrant to Canada. His first jobs were doing fire escapes and ornamental ironwork.

Knowing that the steel will be covered up over the next year, Koppelaar says, with regret in his voice, that the museum structure has something in common with his father's first works in steel: "Both are ornamental."

Travis007

July 21st, 2005, 10:07 PM

It towers like that, that will be used in the future to define Architecture from the early century...i love it!!!

Well, that's just a visionary drawing by 3Dementia on the UrbanToronto forums, there is a 40 storey in the works but I'm sure it will create a lot of outrage from the community .

Thanks for ruining a historic landmark. Can Toronto keep one historic building intact or should we just become NYC?

Well, nothing was demolished so no historical landmark was demolished. And excuse me, but the historical ROM building always looked a bit bland to me. The new crystal expansion is just the thing needed to brighten up the ROM building and it doesn't take anything away.

Skybean

August 1st, 2005, 10:27 PM

http://photos23.flickr.com/29997174_8c5ecae14d_b.jpg

Haber

August 2nd, 2005, 12:10 AM

It's like the museum freezed over with that "crystal' addition. Will it look so good 50 yrs from now?

alonzo-ny

August 3rd, 2005, 02:13 AM

the tower design is shit hot

Skybean

August 28th, 2005, 10:50 PM

Aug 13, 2005
http://photos29.flickr.com/37625926_7db100c703_b.jpg

Skybean

December 13th, 2005, 06:38 AM

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/9148/rom19jj.jpg

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4483/rom24zj.jpg

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/hyatt02.jpg

Daniel Libeskind has 3 active projects in Toronto. http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects/index.html

B.Tinoff

December 13th, 2005, 09:54 AM

Does anybody know if this anodized aluminum is corrugated?

Please say no.

Jaye101

December 13th, 2005, 10:15 AM

^^ Your talking in a completely different language dude.

hkskyline

December 14th, 2005, 08:16 AM

ROM condo-tower plan scrapped
8 November 2005
The Globe and Mail

The plan to build a 46-storey condominium tower in the heart of the city's cultural district is history — leaving a $20-million gap in the Royal Ontario Museum's rebuilding plan.

Citing “deep and broad” opposition from neighbouring residents and institutions, museum director and CEO William Thorsell announced yesterday that the project has been pulled from the approval process.

“We don't have the support we need, so it's just the logical thing to do,” he said in an interview. He was reiterating what he said at Tuesday's fiery public consultation meeting where more than 200 people, including representatives of the faculties of law and music at the University of Toronto, opposed the project.

“I knew there would be controversy but I didn't think it would be this degree of opposition,” Mr. Thorsell said. “It's too deep and broad to keep this project alive.”

The layered-glass luxury tower was to rise within the footprint of U of T and Queen's Park in an area that has been predominantly institutional, rather than residential.

The ROM had applied to have the property of the defunct McLaughlin Planetarium rezoned.

The project, proposed as a co-development with Toronto-based Graywood Developments Ltd. and dubbed ROM South, would have given the provincially owned museum 35,000 square feet of storage and office space, and funnelled $20-million into the $230-million Renaissance ROM project that Mr. Thorsell has spearheaded.

But no tower means no money.

“We'll have to go back and get out there, beat the bushes even harder to raise it in the community,” Mr. Thorsell said.

When Councillor Olivia Chow, whose Trinity-Spadina ward includes the ROM, heard the announcement, she whooped with joy. “I'm thankful that ROM heard the community and understood the opposition,” she said.

“I hope that they would find the funding from the public and private sector to finish phase two,” Ms. Chow said, noting that at the public meeting local residents promised to help with fundraising.

The ROM's has raised $176-million, including $30-million from Michael Lee-Chin, CEO of AIC Ltd., $20-million from Galen and Hilary Weston and $60-million from the federal and provincial governments. The first phase, featuring new galleries and the restoration of the Rotunda and Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery, is scheduled to open Dec. 26. The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is still set to open next fall.

Mr. Thorsell said donor fatigue has struck the city, with several major cultural projects, including the ROM and Art Gallery of Ontario renovations, under way.

One thing the ROM's management does know is that any new proposal won't be much like the one withdrawn yesterday.

“Right now, we have nothing in mind,” Mr. Thorsell said. “But if there's any height, it won't be very high at all.”

B.Tinoff

December 15th, 2005, 03:55 AM

^^ Your talking in a completely different language dude.

Read the little thing above the webcam in Skybean's post ("Cladding the Micheal Lee-Chin Crystal). It mentions the type of cladding being used which is anodized aluminium.

I am inquiring as to whether it is flat or corrugated.

Filip

December 15th, 2005, 04:12 AM

Read the little thing above the webcam in Skybean's post ("Cladding the Micheal Lee-Chin Crystal). It mentions the type of cladding being used which is anodized aluminium.

I am inquiring as to whether it is flat or corrugated.
Nah, it seems to be smooth, (just search it in google pics), it seems also that pots and pans are made of this:S dunno if that's good or not...

hkskyline

December 16th, 2005, 07:52 PM

Light, space open up ROM's 'dark fortress': Sneak peek at galleries
Peter Brieger
National Post
16 December 2005

The Royal Ontario Museum's $230-million facelift is not just about the restoration of an old building, but rather a step in building Toronto's international stature, the museum's director said yesterday.

"This really goes beyond institution building," William Thorsell told media assembled for a sneak preview of 10 new galleries that will open to the public on Boxing Day. "It is about city building."

And by this time next year, the new museum's centrepiece -- the Crystal -- will be near completion. The jagged glass and aluminum building juts out of the ROM's existing structure, built between 1914 and 1933.

"I can't see anybody coming to Toronto and not wanting to go into [the Crystal]," Mr. Thorsell said during an interview. "They may be here for their sister's funeral, but on the way back to the airport they're going to want to drop in to take a look at it."

Even the dank original structure features more lighting and a roomier feel, including a new rotunda with funky leather couches outfitted in orange, blue and metallic grey.

Describing the old space as an "absurd building with all kinds of junk," architect Daniel Libeskind told reporters the new galleries will "bring back the glory" of the ROM, making a "dark fortress open again to light."

Designers were also careful to ensure the building and its contents get equal billing, said Alisdair Hinshelwood, senior designer at U.K.-based museum consultant Haley Sharpe Design.

"One of our jobs is to create encounters between objects and people," Mr. Hinshelwood said. "We tried to avoid touching the building [with pieces] so you can always follow the architecture."

Visitors later this month will also be able to see exhibits including: Korea, Bronze Age Aegean, Ancient Cyprus and a Chinese gallery, which includes the only exhibition dedicated to Chinese architecture outside the world's most populous nation.

About 1,000 pieces are on display at the new Canada gallery dedicated to first peoples, from the Nisga'a and Inuit to Mohawk and Haida. Many of the artifacts were in storage but never displayed before, Mr. Thorsell said.

In all, the new museum will have almost double the number of artifacts and 43 galleries by project completion -- expected in 2007.

"The ROM was already there," Mr. Thorsell said. "It's not like we went out and bought a lot of new things, but we brought them forward into the space."

Meanwhile, the ROM's director said he hopes to hammer out an agreement to build another revenue-generating development after a contentious condominium project -- slated to contribute $20-million to the restoration -- was shelved in the face of opposition from neighbours.

"The worst-case scenario is that we can't develop the site at all, but I think we'll likely be able to do something there," Mr. Thorsell said.

Skybean

December 23rd, 2005, 04:09 PM

December 15, 2005
Preparation for Cladding
http://static.flickr.com/38/76016316_85a7b8b1a6_b.jpg

zerokarma

December 23rd, 2005, 05:31 PM

good update, can't wait until the glass starts going up

Skybean

January 5th, 2006, 09:15 PM

Cladding (or insulation?) is going up.

http://www.rom.on.ca/graphics/hyatt02.jpg

thryve

January 5th, 2006, 09:57 PM

Perhaps it's both ;) ^^

Marcanadian

January 6th, 2006, 02:37 AM

I have to wait for tomorrow to see it. Its dark and I cant see it now! :rant:

Marcanadian

January 8th, 2006, 09:34 PM

Now I see it, looks awesome

DrJoe

January 9th, 2006, 02:36 AM

Cant wait to see the finished project

Taller, Better

January 9th, 2006, 02:52 AM

Here are pix from yesterday of the cladding , and of the construction site.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6294/jan0705romsteelcladding4hj.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/149/jan0705rom5ck.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6479/jan0705romii5cx.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9170/jan0705romi7cr.jpg

Skybean

January 10th, 2006, 02:30 AM

Great update, Taller!

I for one, appreciate your efforts in providing such up to date photos of the construction. Reposting the image of the live webcam over and over again isn't the same as getting some close ups.

The ROM will be a beauty for sure.

elliot

January 10th, 2006, 02:46 PM

^^^ That's not cladding as I explained in the T.O. forum.

Everything you see being installed from now until spring is just insulation panels, and eventually window frames.

None of the final "skin" will be arriving in Canada until April.

This cladding system didn't exist before the ROM.

-Framing for insulation panels underway.
-Insulation panels are installed, underway on the southeast portion of the Crystal.
- the anodized aluminum final skin is joined to the insulated panels, leaving a space between them (possiblywith a channel system UNDERNEATH! the exterior skin that drains collected rain water etc).

Urban Dave

January 10th, 2006, 02:55 PM

Great! It looks like a building was colapsed down! :D

Skybean

March 27th, 2006, 03:57 AM

March 26, 2006
http://static.flickr.com/34/118438904_5ba1c01eb9_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/41/118393787_218a79e1e5_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/50/118394153_bfdae26e5f_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/41/118393716_7df8f3eaa9_b.jpg

zerokarma

March 29th, 2006, 12:18 AM

Looks like its slowly coming along.

Skybean

March 29th, 2006, 01:09 AM

Yes, it is taking ages. I have been following this project with great interest, but it's pretty slow.

Bertez

March 29th, 2006, 02:56 AM

So far, so good:D

CrazyCanuck

March 29th, 2006, 05:45 AM

The 'real' cladding should be arriving some time late next month.

Cliff

March 30th, 2006, 01:39 AM

My favorite museum expansion in the world!

hkskyline

April 5th, 2006, 04:07 AM

http://www.globalphotos.org/toronto/20060402/RIMG0031.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/toronto/20060402/RIMG0032.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/toronto/20060402/RIMG0033.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/toronto/20060402/RIMG0034.jpg

Skybean

April 9th, 2006, 07:24 AM

March 20, 2006
http://static.flickr.com/42/125435128_47fe453d8b_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/45/125434948_acf741ad2a_b.jpg

Skybean

May 30th, 2006, 12:42 AM

May 27, 2006
http://static.flickr.com/47/155674111_0f0852a23d_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/67/155674112_2ec375eaae_o.jpg

forvine

May 30th, 2006, 04:43 AM

Awesome :eek:

nezzybaby

May 30th, 2006, 12:58 PM

disgusting... I hate Libeskind. All his buildings are just pieces of metal thrown together in seemingly random designs. And, just like if you do the same thing on a smaller scale, it looks like trash. I'ts not "bold" or "dramatic," it's what he found in last night's garbage right before he threw it out. It sucks IMO.

I guess im the only person on this forum who agrees with you, buildings like this were original a couple of decades ago, but with the guggenheim, imperial war museeum manchester, and many others this no longer appears original. Instead it looks like a random scribble that he couldn't be arsed finishing, and left the mechanical and structural engineers with a fucking nightmare.

Liebskind is pretty crap in my opinion. The engineers behind this project i am in awe of

Taller, Better

May 30th, 2006, 02:08 PM

I guess im the only person on this forum who agrees with you, buildings like this were original a couple of decades ago, but with the guggenheim, imperial war museeum manchester, and many others this no longer appears original. Instead it looks like a random scribble that he couldn't be arsed finishing, and left the mechanical and structural engineers with a fucking nightmare.

Liebskind is pretty crap in my opinion. The engineers behind this project i am in awe of

Buildings like this were not even possible to BUILD a couple of decades ago
and you make it sound like they are a dime a dozen!! I know of nothing built in 1986 that looks even remotely similar to this.
Without current computer programmes, the structural engineering could never have been done. LOL! Far from being "original", they did simply not exist. Gehry's and Foster's stuff all began to look the same, but not Liebskind. This is not the same as the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.. they have the same architect, but that is about it for the similarity.
I love this building, and it is going to look like a jewel on Bloor St!

ricky716

June 8th, 2006, 02:28 PM

I found some more construction photos from Flickr here:

ROM - Black & White Construction Photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattina/sets/72057594134086352/)

April 13, 2006 Construction Photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattina/sets/72057594106686127/)

The aluminum extrusion are 12" wide by 4" deep with 2" to 3" gap between each extrusion.

Erebus555

June 8th, 2006, 02:54 PM

It looks beautiful. It will look very striking the way it rises out of the ground. Reminds me of the limestone pinnacles in Borneo.

zerokarma

June 9th, 2006, 06:21 PM

I think once the final project is done it will look great, its just this time in the mean time where it looks a little crazy while they build it.

Skybean

June 27th, 2006, 10:44 PM

June 23, 2006

http://static.flickr.com/58/176310620_a495e25b43_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/66/176310723_a21862ceb7_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/32/176310427_bfddf03e6a_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/57/176310808_5a8c957be3_b.jpg

zerokarma

June 30th, 2006, 04:43 PM

Anyone know the ETA on completion for this project?

Skybean

August 2nd, 2006, 04:30 AM

ROM from Above
http://static.flickr.com/77/203852270_e5b3d66f03_o.jpg

Martinsizon

August 2nd, 2006, 04:32 AM

you can also see the royal conservatory of music's expansion under consturciotn

Bertez

August 2nd, 2006, 04:39 AM

Great pic:D....

LordMandeep

August 2nd, 2006, 05:17 AM

that area is so nice. Avenue road and Bloor.

Marcanadian

August 2nd, 2006, 06:35 PM

This is a sample of the cladding.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7889/klknn3.png

Bertez

August 3rd, 2006, 02:37 AM

^^Very slick.....

Skybean

August 3rd, 2006, 02:39 AM

That siding is going to be able to fry some eggs on the pavement in this heat.

thryve

August 3rd, 2006, 02:39 AM

that area is so nice. Avenue road and Bloor.

I agree. It has this cultural, old-world feel to me for some reason.

LordMandeep

August 3rd, 2006, 05:07 AM

was there on a trip with our school in june. Everyone was saying how nice that area was.

zerokarma

August 3rd, 2006, 11:16 PM

When is this thing supposed to be done again?

petpod

December 15th, 2006, 06:49 PM

any updates on this?

wiki

December 15th, 2006, 06:49 PM

good picture

petpod

December 15th, 2006, 07:02 PM

only for you wiki

http://img432.imageshack.us/img432/5383/rom4ws0.jpg

Skybean

December 16th, 2006, 01:29 AM

Any of the reflective siding up on this one yet? Or is that all insulation and the glass? The stuff up now doesn't quite look like the finished aluminium siding that I'm expecting.

Marcanadian

December 16th, 2006, 03:48 AM

Yeah the aluminum is taking a long time but that definitely isn't the way it will look when finished.

Vanman

December 16th, 2006, 03:50 AM

^^^ Yeah, I hope that is not the way the exterior cladding looks when it is finished, otherwise it would ruin an excellent design

thryve

December 16th, 2006, 04:31 AM

that area is so nice. Avenue road and Bloor.

This area is one of my favey's :D So classy, and almost feels old-world to me

elliot

December 16th, 2006, 04:25 PM

^^ You are looking at insulation panels. None of the final aluminum cladding has been added.

Canadian Chocho

December 16th, 2006, 05:23 PM

So much is going on in that area!! That one block is full of construction.

eng_kheffa

December 16th, 2006, 07:14 PM

this work is a source of proud for its executer

zerokarma

December 18th, 2006, 07:14 PM

Thanks for the update

yyzer

January 8th, 2007, 03:19 AM

Here's a couple of pics from Jan 3/07, taken by AlmightyFuzzy at UT...the first layer of cladding is now complete, they are now adding supporting studs for the second layer, which will be of a special aluminum made in Germany..

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/349458118_9412338c76_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/349458213_971a98a8a2_o.jpg

Skybean

January 8th, 2007, 03:20 AM

Excellent update!

pipapipo310

January 8th, 2007, 04:16 AM

where is it located?? i didnt see it when i visited toronto last xams holiday?

Jose Luis

January 8th, 2007, 05:29 AM

Looks neat

CrazyCanuck

January 8th, 2007, 06:28 AM

where is it located?? i didnt see it when i visited toronto last xams holiday?

Avenue rd. and Bloor. I can't wait to see what the cladding will look like.

ToRoNto, g-town

January 9th, 2007, 04:58 AM

i absolutely LOVE this building. i wasnt sure if i would or not but i def do!

isaidso

April 3rd, 2007, 05:25 AM

Love this building. It will start the ball rolling on the revitalization of this section of Bloor Street. The area has great energy, but 2nd and 3rd rate architecture with the exception of this building and the Club Monaco store across the street.

Plans call for the widening of sidewalks, public benches, trees, and other greenery. Bloor-Yorkville is the highend shopping district, but the buildings mostly previous slum fixer uppers.

thryve

April 3rd, 2007, 05:15 PM

^^ Speaking of revitilization on this part of Bloor, we should be showing in this thread what's happening to the Royal Conservatory of Music, next door... what a classy project that is!

Do you think that project warrants its own thread, or should we stick them in here?

KGB

April 3rd, 2007, 06:14 PM

The area has great energy, but 2nd and 3rd rate architecture with the exception of this building and the Club Monaco store across the street. Bloor-Yorkville is the highend shopping district, but the buildings mostly previous slum fixer uppers.

Sorry, but other than the demolished buildings for One Bedford, I can't think of anything in Bloor/Yorkville that would constitute "slum"...or even "3rd rate" architecture...let alone "most" of it.

There are plenty of obvious gems (both large and small), but I think the Colonnade is my fave.

KGB

thryve

April 3rd, 2007, 07:43 PM

^^ I agree. Lots of great architecture in this area!!!

isaidso

April 3rd, 2007, 08:39 PM

LordMandeep

April 3rd, 2007, 09:08 PM

its the 22nd most expensive district in the world ^^^....

Jaborandi

April 3rd, 2007, 09:37 PM

. The area has great energy, but 2nd and 3rd rate architecture with the exception of this building and the Club Monaco store across the street.

Plans call for the widening of sidewalks, public benches, trees, and other greenery. Bloor-Yorkville is the highend shopping district, but the buildings mostly previous slum fixer uppers.

I wish I could afford to live in one of those slum houses on Hazleton Avenue. Pre hippy days, it was a middle class neighbourhood that just went to pot so to speak.

I would hesitate to be quite so dismissive of Britannica House, the Church of the Redeemer, the former Park Plaza Hotel or the former C.I.L. building - the one with the Phillip Johnson penthouse which is about to get another addition added on top. Nor is the facade of the late lamented University Theatre anything to cringe about. I agree that a lot of 2 and 3-storey crap was foisted on Yorkville in the 70's & 80's and I would shed no tears to see them replaced with a modernist volcabulary rather than some faux shite pretending to be historical.

thryve

April 3rd, 2007, 09:41 PM

Let's also remember that back then they would call anything 'slummy'. That doesn't mean the original buildings themselves were not worthy somehow. And let's not forget all the office towers and retail stores that have been built in the Bloor-Yorkville area within the last few decades, many of which are nice!

KGB

April 3rd, 2007, 11:27 PM

KGB, the majority of Yorkville was a slum populated by hippies just 40 years ago. What was considered a poor slum then, has been renovated. They are still crappy structures with high end finishes. I consider that 2nd or 3rd rate.

Granted, the Colonade is well done, but I have to disagree regarding the rest. Our definitions of satisfactory must be very different.

Well, the 1960's Yorkville you speak of, was not a "slum", any more than Greenwich Village was a "slum" during the same time. Yorkville's built form is that of a victorian village, which of course it was originally. Both of these factors ADD to its charm and sense of history...it doesn't detract from it. In fact, it's Bloor/Yorkville's varried built form and scale that sets it apart from other high-end shopping districts....I much prefer it aesthetically over more monotonous and mundane looking distrcits like Madison Ave or Rodeo Dr.

Please start naming all the slummy or 3rd rate buildings, because yes, you and I certainly do differ on our definitions. It shouldn't be hard, given the fact that most of the buildings in the Yorkville/Annex/UofT corridor fit this description, according to you.

I can start naming everything i like, or think is fine...but that list would be too long. Like I said, the only stuff I actually find sub-par, is the stretch west of the Park Plaza (now Park Hyatt)....which is itself a handsome jazz-age building I can't imagine deserving your slum label.

KGB

AM Putra

April 4th, 2007, 02:16 PM

Once again Libeskind did a messy job.

samsonyuen

April 5th, 2007, 01:43 AM

Only two months left til its architectural opening!

isaidso

April 5th, 2007, 03:26 PM

KGB:

That stretch from Park Hyatt to Spadina is very indicative of what I consider 2nd or 3rd rate. I can't name alot of these buildings by name, but will make a mental note of them when I walk by them next.

I'll name a few that come to mind other than the aforementioned stretch west of the Park Hyatt. The building that wraps around the church on Bloor and Avenue, not 3rd rate, but entirely forgettable. It's especially dowdy considering it's glamourous neighbour, the Four Seasons in a matching dowdy building. The building directly east of Club Monaco. It doesn't tie in well or compliment it's surroundings but do like the subtle advertising effects they have accomplished on their windows.

The northeast and northwest corner of Bay and Bloor, the south west corner of Bay and Bloor and the rest of that block, the entire block on the southwest corner of Yonge and Bloor, the Bay department store and it's tower, the CIBC tower across the street.

This incomplete list represents most of the area for 5 blocks. A nation's so-called best shopping street should demand equivalent architecture. It isn't all crap, but it's not inspiring either.

I think London spoiled me somewhat, although I'm definitely not one that equates good architecture with old.

SassanPahlavi

April 5th, 2007, 03:53 PM

Excellent Update!!

I will be in Toronto just in a few hours!

In 2000 I visited the ROM, I think this time will be a totally different experience!!

Regards/Saludos

Marcanadian

April 28th, 2007, 04:35 AM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattina/

ROM pics from pattina of Flickr.

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

potipoti

May 2nd, 2007, 06:00 PM

WoW, that update is incredible, I like that strange building ;)

Rapid

May 2nd, 2007, 08:57 PM

I just recently got a job there. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be on June 2, and the next day it will temporarily be open to the entire public so people can see the architecture.

Prestonian

May 3rd, 2007, 12:52 AM

he's a genius as always. So much thought, and emotion, goes into his work, many don't realise his passion.

Rapid

May 3rd, 2007, 01:10 AM

he's a genius as always. So much thought, and emotion, goes into his work, many don't realise his passion.

He designed the building so that there would be absolutely no right angles (even in the interior walls), so all exhibits will be shown in glass casings situated from the floor, or when paintings are exhibited, artificial walls will be temporarily installed.

yyzer

May 8th, 2007, 02:07 AM

some pics from May 3, posted by CDL.TO at UT.....this project is really having an impact at street level..

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9185/rom1sv0.jpg

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/5189/rom2tw5.jpg

some of the aluminum cladding still has a plastic covering on it, hence the differences in shading....once the plastic is removed, should all be the same (lighter) shade....

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/560/rom3ou4.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/9056/rom4op3.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9261/rom5uc3.jpg

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/10/rom6us4.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/592/rom7va5.jpg

yyzer

May 31st, 2007, 06:18 PM

some night shots from flickr....ROM is scheduled to open this Saturday, June 2, with an evening light show...they must have been rehearsing...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/521236659_2cf37a76b9_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/519275992_a1169b7e5f_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/218/519228226_34dd1d7b86_b.jpg

Taller, Better

May 31st, 2007, 07:11 PM

It is stunning! I cannot wait to see it lit up!

Mahratta

May 31st, 2007, 09:49 PM

I love it! Cant wait to see it all bright and lit up

Sergei

June 1st, 2007, 12:30 AM

Looks amazing! I haven't seen it for a while, maybe I'll come down to the opening! :colgate:

AM Putra

June 1st, 2007, 12:45 AM

This Libeskind guy is amazing.

CrazyCanuck

June 1st, 2007, 01:16 AM

That last shot tonight will look amazing combined with the lights for Luminato.

Taller, Better

June 1st, 2007, 08:43 AM

Some pix I took this evening:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/IMGP3559may3007LuminatoROM.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/IMGP3551may3007LuminatoROM.jpg

and from high above:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/IMGP3566may3007LuminatoROMfromPlaza.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/IMGP3588i.jpg

Skybean

June 1st, 2007, 09:02 AM

Great! This is what I have come to expect of a project of this calibre. Toronto needs more night time lighting.

isaidso

June 1st, 2007, 09:29 AM

The ROM opening will be visually stunning, especially with Luminato's light show in the distance.

yyzer

June 1st, 2007, 03:56 PM

Great shots, TB!

SkyLerm

June 1st, 2007, 06:45 PM

Stunning shape, nice to see how it comes out :cheers:

Holland

June 1st, 2007, 06:48 PM

Great times for Toronto!

Luminato lighting at harbourfront, ROM lighting, and an announcement that the CN Tower will be lit up colourfully in the future.

Exciting!

So how long will the ROM be lit like that for? *wishes it was permanent*

Taller, Better

June 1st, 2007, 07:07 PM

Probably the ten days of Luminato.. but I don't know. Tonight is the ROM gala dinner ( I know one lucky guy going) and tomorrow is the official public opening.
I must try and get in to take photos.......

thryve

June 1st, 2007, 10:41 PM

All are amazing shots!

bluga

June 2nd, 2007, 12:50 AM

Some pix I took this
and from high above:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/IMGP3566may3007LuminatoROMfromPlaza.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/IMGP3588i.jpg

Where did you take the above shot from? Thanks.

AM Putra

June 2nd, 2007, 06:51 AM

Superb night lighting. The picture should be taken from higher place (apartment?) or by Superman.

Taller, Better

June 2nd, 2007, 07:01 AM

I took the "above" pics from the fabulous outdoor rooftop bar of the Hyatt Hotel (the old Park Plaza). I had to twist a few arms to get a table... hehe!

gERoNimO88

June 2nd, 2007, 07:36 AM

Wow!! That renovation really is amazing! I'm glad it's finally finished. I didn't even realize it was ready for opening, I just drove by it coming home in a taxi cab this past Tuesday night (May 29th) and I saw it and only then I realized that it was opening soon... it was all lighted up too. This will be a great enhancement to the ROM and another addition to make our wold-class city even better! I haven't been to the ROM in years (since grade school), but I will definately go sometime soon to check out this architectural wonder!

Thanks for taking those great pics! ;)

SYDNEYAHOLIC

June 2nd, 2007, 07:43 AM

Another stunning Libeskind building!

Word of warning though....Libeskind's interiors don't really leave much to the imagination apart from slanting walls and confusing corridors and despite the fantastic out of this world facade and form of the new extension, I wouldn't get too excited about the interior.

Of course though, this is just my opinion based on my experience in Berlin's Jewish Museum and this extension might be completely different so don't bite me head off!

bluga

June 2nd, 2007, 08:24 PM

I took the "above" pics from the fabulous outdoor rooftop bar of the Hyatt Hotel (the old Park Plaza). I had to twist a few arms to get a table... hehe!

Is the access free or I need to pay my way in?

Taller, Better

June 2nd, 2007, 10:02 PM

Is the access free or I need to pay my way in?

Access is free, but it is a lounge/bar so you pretty much have to buy a drink
to stay. Drinks are $$ but I like it there and have been chummy with the bar and floor staff, so they like me! (plus I am a big tipper, which helps....).

samsonyuen

June 2nd, 2007, 11:28 PM

Going tomorrow. Can't wait to see the inside.

will.exe

June 4th, 2007, 01:41 PM

Saw it yesterday. Its incredible and it will be infinitely better when all the exhibits are done. Libeskind doesn't disappoint.

bluga

June 9th, 2007, 07:01 AM

I took these today:

http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/12.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/2.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/1.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/3.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/5.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/6.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/9.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/11.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/14.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/16.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/17.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/24.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/25.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/26.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/27.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/28.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/29.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/30.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/31.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/40.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/41.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/32.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/35.jpg
http://fotoearth.com/showcase/rom/39.jpg

elliot

June 9th, 2007, 07:46 AM

Bloody fantastic shots.... thanks!

rise_against

June 9th, 2007, 08:35 AM

Wow thats impressive....the angles on that building are so stunning.

Skyman

June 9th, 2007, 10:00 AM

Very interesting

andrey i

June 9th, 2007, 07:16 PM

This huge hall is empty!

what they will put on it? :cheers:

ToRoNto, g-town

June 9th, 2007, 08:38 PM

wow the inside looks stunning...

AM Putra

June 10th, 2007, 12:40 AM

The grand opening? From outside it's amazing, no doubt with inside, it's also amazing!

samsonyuen

June 10th, 2007, 05:00 AM

Looks great. I was pretty impressed.

hkskyline

June 27th, 2007, 07:33 PM

Crack open the Crystal; Royal Ontario Museum's Michael Lee-Chin gala
9 June 2007
National Post

At the height of the gala season, the opening of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum proved to be the most sparkling night of all. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the controversial addition is the jewel in the crown of the museum's $270-million Renaissance ROM expansion project.

It was all very Hollywood, as 500 dapper gents and glamazonian women in floor-length gowns and lots of "crystal" arrived in red-carpet fashion for a first peek inside the museum's provocative new digs. For sheer glamour, shout outs must go to the incredible Mila Mulroney, the stunner Lynda Prince, the always fashion-forward Lonti Ebers (who co-chaired the event with Susan Crocker) and Marilyn Baillie, whose hand-embroidered silk evening coat was exquisite. And, of course, extra special props to major ROM cheerleader Hilary Weston in her role as fundraising chair extraordinaire.

Torontonians and visitors from across the country lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Michael Lee-Chin, after whom the building was named (he was the leading donor, contributing $30-million to the building fund), and to ogle other movers and shakers as they arrived at the museum's new Bloor Street entrance. The guest list was simply too hot to handle: You name it, every one of Canada's first families was there.

Models wearing intricately fashioned paper dresses were on hand to greet the honoured guests, who then proceeded to the Samuel Hall/Currelly Gallery for a spectacular Singular Event dinner prepared by the ROM's caterer, Restaurant Associates' Tim McLaughlin. It was a sold-out affair, with tables going for as much as $50,000 a pop!

Following the dinner, guests joined an additional 500 Big Bang party guests for an evening of frolic throughout the Crystal. Each of the five floors boasted a different theme, including a jazz club that was still hopping at 3 a.m.

Like the cat who ate the canary, the ROM's director and CEO, William Thorsell, was all smiles as he pronounced the opening night gala a stunning success: "The Singular Event and Big Bang Party brought all the ROM's major donors together for the celebration of a great new public space. To paraphrase: Rarely has such generosity derived such pleasure in creating wonder for so many."

DudeMiester

June 29th, 2007, 10:04 AM

Ha, I snuck into that gala event! It was awesome I must say! They had a fabulous string quartet on the main floor too. I wrote about it in my blog http://dudemiester.blogspot.com Mind you, I didn't go to the dinner. I was just in the Big Bang party. It's a beautiful building, that's for sure!

Skybean

June 29th, 2007, 10:12 AM

Great shots! I need to find time to pay a visit!

CanadianNational

July 2nd, 2007, 09:12 PM

Here are some pics of mine from just after the opening.....

A view of how the 'crystals' converge at the entry door.....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/fan.jpg

A shot of the roof from inside....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/roof.jpg

And all around the interior....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding3.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding2.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding4.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding5.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding6.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding7.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/folding8.jpg

Fun leaning about.....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/persontilt.jpg

SOLOMON

July 5th, 2007, 01:27 AM

fantastic shots.

gappa

July 5th, 2007, 10:41 AM

This was under development when I was in Toronto early last year. Good to see it finished, looks great.

CanadianNational

July 7th, 2007, 09:58 AM

Some more pics from oot and aboot the Crystal....

Going on in......
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/entryeve.jpg

Stopping to look at the model.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/model2.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/model1.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/model3.jpg

The entryway.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/entry.jpg

The coatcheck.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/coatcheck.jpg

The Atrium.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/atrium2.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/atrium.jpg

Up the stairs....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/stair2.jpg

Looking down through the 'Spirit House' void, to the diamond-like Libeskind-designed stainless steel chairs at ground level.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/diamonds.jpg

Looking up through the 'Spirit House'....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/spirithouse.jpg

Back up the stairs...
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/stair3.jpg

Looking down through the 'Spirit House' again...
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/spirithouse2.jpg

'Attic' floor, (high front-right Crystal on model)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/attic2.jpg

Other half of 'Attic' floor, (high front-left Crystal on model)
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/attic3.jpg

Down in the basement exhibition hall....
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/basement2.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/basement.jpg

Back outside. Front view of North Facade(s) facing Bloor Street.
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/cleft.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x11/CanadianNational/cright.jpg

612Buddha

July 7th, 2007, 07:39 PM

reminds me of the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

http://www.alumni.umn.edu/sites/d2e2f762-6a18-437f-ad49-168669330020/uploads/McNamara_Alumni_CenterLG.jpg

Taller, Better

July 7th, 2007, 07:47 PM

Was it also a Liebskind addition?

hkskyline

August 12th, 2007, 05:40 PM

A Crystal with its fair share of wrinkles
19 May 2007
The Globe and Mail

TORONTO -- Rain fell for much of this past week. Yet at a press conference to unveil a stunning star sapphire that will be displayed to herald the new Teck Cominco geology galleries, Royal Ontario Museum CEO William Thorsell was smiling.

He wasn't supposed to be: Rain derails the hour-by-hour work schedule to complete the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by Daniel Libeskind. Rain idles the 43 ironworkers still installing the Crystal's exterior cladding. Rain costs money.

Perhaps Thorsell was buoyed by thoughts of the newly opened Libeskind-designed Denver Museum of Art, now fenced off so that workers can repair its dripping roof. Said Thorsell: “Last night, Toronto went through an absolute car wash of a downpour – and no leaks.”

A master of sangfroid, this man. As of mid-May, it is still touch and go as to whether Toronto's own Libeskind will be ready. By declaring that the June opening will be “architectural” (i.e. the new building will be mostly empty), Thorsell turned the potential humiliation of a job that is a year and a half behind its original schedule (and $50-million in the red) into a grand opportunity for the public to inspect an icon in progress. A shipment of 19 Spirit House chairs — cubist objects of 14-gauge stainless steel, Libeskind-designed and made by Toronto furniture-maker Klaus Nienkämper — will add grace notes to the Crystal's mostly empty spaces.

But stunning chairs and architecture won't deter the City of Toronto's fire, electrical and structural inspectors, who must decide whether to issue the Crystal its pass papers. “No permit is ever cleared at time of occupancy,” says Kim Dobson, a district chief at Toronto Fire Services. “Standpipe systems for fire hoses, sprinkler and smoke-control systems – if areas of a building aren't secure, they have to be sealed from the general public.”

Two weeks ago, mechanical inspectors took issue with one of the new elevators, costing precious days of delay. Four of the six elevators are now working, but not the freight elevator, which has complicated the installation of the inaugural exhibition, Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History, at the Institute of Contemporary Culture in its new home atop the Crystal.

To cope with the elevator issue, Thorsell said, ROM staff members were using the biggest passenger elevator, the one designed to take an entire school class, to haul “stuff.” Said Doug Ferris of Fujitec Elevator, “We're definitely working overtime on this one.”

If there are more problems, what will that mean? Havoc for the ROM's sold-out gala Friday, June 1, and for the next day, when organizers of the Luminato festival anticipate that the new ROM Plaza will be the site of a free outdoor evening concert, culminating with Governor-General Michaëlle Jean officially “lighting the Crystal” – illuminating the festival and the ROM in one dramatic moment.

There's still time for one last spanner in the works. The Crystal has had plenty, right from the start.

In the three years that lapsed between the ROM project being priced and going to tender, steel prices nearly doubled, according to John Martin, project director of Vanbots Construction, the main construction company involved. But that didn't affect Toronto's other “cultural build” projects, such as the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts or the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, as much as it did the ROM.

The real problem was the complexity of Libeskind's design. Because it had almost no 90-degree angles, the structural-steel contractors, Walters Inc. of Hamilton, had to invent new systems. As they fell behind schedule, each delay affected the next stage.

The Crystal's steep angles threatened to turn into an avalanche machine overhanging Bloor Street. Project architect Thore Garbers, from Libeskind's Berlin studio, saved the day by inventing a two-layer cladding system to prevent snow from forming heavy, potentially dangerous loads, instead dispersing it onto the warmer layer beneath, where it would melt and flow into hidden gutters.

But his intricate cladding design created more delays. Last August, after a flurry of lawyers' letters underlining contractual obligations having to do with completion dates, the contractor, Josef Gartner & Co., agreed to make good the cost (hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe more) of finishing the job.

The exterior should be done this coming week, says Gartner superintendent Paul Ranieri. “We have no contingency plan. We just have to be out of there.”

What Toronto will make of its new Libeskind is a matter of hot debate. But there's no doubt that his design has changed the way its citizens think about streetscapes. Recently two 12-year-olds were overheard as they glanced up at the almost-complete Crystal. Remarked one: “They used to line up all the windows in a row.” Noting a nearby building with just such windows, the other replied, “Lines are for losers.”

ROM by the numbers

3,400 tons
Amount of steel in the Crystal

38 tons
Weight of bolts

180
Number of workers at peak of construction

25
Percentage of the Crystal's exterior that is glass

75
Percentage of the Crystal's exterior that is oxidized anodized aluminum

16,200 (174,000)
Square metres (square feet) of the Crystal

5,200
Amount in square metres of new exhibition gallery space

52
Number of windows (various sizes)

36.5 metres
Highest point

9 storeys
Height of overhang

$135-million
Cost of Crystal construction (not including galleries)

vancouverite/to'er

September 7th, 2007, 03:48 AM

The exterior looks quite bold and sleek. I'm not digging the flourescents though:ohno: Toronto deserves better-halogen tracks would look nicer IMO

DrT

September 7th, 2007, 04:05 AM

Very inspiring spaces. Great pics.
Amazing what "the hands of man" can do and what the computer age has allowed us to do architecturally.
This is a real success story for Toronto.

will.exe

September 26th, 2007, 02:41 PM

When do the exhibits open? Or did that happen already?

Taller, Better

September 26th, 2007, 04:34 PM

No, won't be til somewhere from Christmas to Spring. I am thrilled with excitement to see inside then...

iLiR

September 27th, 2007, 06:31 AM

Crazy design. :nuts:

Skybean

October 30th, 2007, 08:13 AM

Oct 29, 2007

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2404/1802258438_dd135dba31_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2193/1793918276_b4279ab0f1_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2137/1793074143_a154530d1d_b.jpg

isaidso

October 31st, 2007, 01:03 PM

I almost forgot about this one. It's such a long wait till the first exhibits. You'd think they would have had one by now.

Skybean

November 2nd, 2007, 08:41 AM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2244/1819406562_28c166a8b2_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2420/1819407624_55b76aa127_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/1818565459_af47c62c36_o.jpg

Skybean

November 4th, 2007, 09:09 PM

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/16f0091a1d.jpg

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/0643e8bb64.jpg

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/dd69c6716c.jpg

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/uploads/pics/ICC_c_Sam_Javanrouh.JPG

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/1f5999c9cb.jpg

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/cc0a04e83c.jpg

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/0d133f94f8.jpg

source: http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects

Skybean

November 4th, 2007, 09:29 PM

Spirit House Chair by Daniel Libeskind
http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/39c5cf67ab.jpg

Here is the chandelier designed by Libeskind

http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/a291220c9e.jpg
http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/typo3temp/pics/da4f2dc7d3.jpg

Designed by Daniel Libeskind and donated by Swarovski, the Spirit House Chandelier will be installed on the staircase between the Level 4 Institute for Contemporary Culture Gallery and the Level 5 Crystal Five (C5) Restaurant Lounge.

Technical Details:
Dimensions:
Length:29 ft.
Height: 10 ft.
Width: 10 ft.
Weight: 800 lbs.

Structure Details:
More than 100,000 Swarovski crystals wrapped around an illuminum frame.

hkskyline

November 29th, 2007, 06:26 AM

ROM wants city to move street vendors from view of Crystal
28 November 2007
The Globe and Mail

The Royal Ontario Museum is trying to shoo a handful of long-time hot-dog and ice-cream vendors away from its dramatically renovated building because they don't fit with its “glitzy” new image, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone says.

Changes to the vendors' permits, watered down but still approved yesterday by the Toronto and East York community council, were an attempt to force them out of business by moving them to sites where their sales will sink, Mr. Pantalone charged.

“I think it is simply wrong. I think the city is more than glitzy arts or other places,” Mr. Pantalone (Ward 19, Trinity Spadina) told councillors, saying many street vendors are immigrants struggling to make a living. “It's also people who are operating food carts. And that's what it's about. To me it is a question of social equity here.”

A museum spokesman denied the ROM was trying to put street vendors out of business.

“We're not opposed to vendors in the area of the museum,” ROM spokesman Francisco Alvarez said yesterday.

“We're working with the city to determine the best locations for them. And we're hoping that we can find an arrangement that allows them to remain profitable.”

The original plan, approved by city bureaucrats, would have moved four city permits – three hot-dog carts and one ice-cream truck – south down Queen's Park Crescent to sites clustered around the museum subway station.

A report by city staff says the museum's new Daniel Libeskind-designed “Crystal” front entrance, which the ROM has said cost $270-million, was part of the reason for the changes.

The moves, the report says, were necessary “in order to accommodate an unobstructed view of the new Royal Ontario Museum entrance and facilitate access to the Queen's Park entrance for tour groups and school excursions.”

After the community council heard from the hot-dog vendors' lawyer, a compromise motion by the Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity Spadina), left one cart, belonging to Marko Vatchourov, 53, essentially untouched, moving just three metres south on Queen's Park Crescent.

Another cart, operated by his wife, Milka, 49, on the southwest corner of Bloor Street West, was given a reprieve while city staff engage in negotiations on a new place for it.

A third hot-dog cart and an ice-cream truck were both moved south, but, according to a hand-drawn map, not as far as originally proposed. George Demos, 62, said he had been selling food in front of the museum's former front door since he came to Canada from Greece 40 years ago. He said his truck is not in anyone's way, sitting in front of what used to be the museum's main entrance on Queen's Park Crescent.

While acknowledging the end of his “life as an ice-cream man” was near, Mr. Demos warned the move might ruin his business: “If they push me by the subway, I think it is going to be a zero.”

Taller, Better

March 26th, 2008, 09:03 PM

The new extension of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto - Photo posted by Skybean (photographer unknown):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/2314929797_1c344fa84a_b.jpg

an article posted today in the Toronto forums about it:

Buildings from Dubai to China to New York highlight a magazine's list of the world's best designs.

Magazine names 7 wonders of architecture

Mon Mar 24, 11:30 AM ET

NEW YORK - From the tall tower in Dubai to a contemporary art museum on New York's Lower East Side, noteworthy architecture is springing up around the globe. Conde Nast Traveler's April issue picks seven designs as the "new seven wonders of the architecture world." They are:

ADVERTISEMENT

-Cumulus, an exhibit hall at Danfoss Universe, a science and technology museum in Nordborg, Denmark. The building has an irregular roof, all curves and angles, like a bite taken out of a cloud.

-Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, which is under construction in the Middle East and is already more than 1,700 feet tall. The final height is a secret but its developer, Emaar Properties, has previously said it will stop somewhere above 2,275 feet and will exceed 160 floors.

-London's new Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000 with no obstructed sight lines. A massive 436-foot-tall, 1,000-foot-long single arch braces the retractable roof. The stadium will be a centerpiece of the 2012 Olympics.

-New Museum of Contemporary Art, designed to resemble an off-kilter stack of silvery rectangles, located on the Bowery on Manhattan's once-seedy, now-trendy Lower East Side.

-Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., a curved roof made from a patterned grid of glass and steel above shallow pools in the courtyard of the Old Patent Office Building, also known as the Reynolds Center and home to the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

-Red Ribbon, Tanghe River Park, in Qinhuangdao, China, about 180 miles east of Beijing, a steel bench that runs a third of a mile through a riverbank garden and ecological oasis.

-The Crystal, a controversial new entryway and exhibit space at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, whose sharp, even jagged angles have not been universally loved by the locals. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind.

Skybean

March 28th, 2008, 01:44 AM

I am quite surprised that Renaissance ROM made the list of the new 7 architectural wonders.

yin_yang

March 28th, 2008, 06:09 AM

i really really like the way libeskind actually placed the "crystals", or designed the building...but the cladding looks a bit off at the moment. still a really cool building!

isaidso

March 28th, 2008, 07:39 AM

[size=4][b]
The Royal Ontario Museum is trying to shoo a handful of long-time hot-dog and ice-cream vendors away from its dramatically renovated building because they don't fit with its “glitzy” new image, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone says.

What a revolting move by the ROM. This is arrogant snobbery you'd think they were too embarrassed to air in public. The ROM is so high on themselves, that human beings are now considered beneath them? Street vendors ARE the city. What a boring soul less place the world would be if the ROM ran the world.

The irony is that this is a building that houses art and documents our civilization, yet they want to sanitize it so we can have a hospital experience. The ROM seems to have lost the plot and pretty much everything else that is real and relevant to the world.

My respect for them has evaporated. They are a joke now.

Perhaps, it is ROM management that should be booted out of Toronto, because they don't fit in with the ideals of a modern sophisticated and enlightened city. What a bunch of troglodytes.

kelw

March 28th, 2008, 07:26 PM

^^ I think the ROM is doing the right thing. Street vendors definitely don't belong near a respected cultural institution like this.

Taller, Better

March 28th, 2008, 07:37 PM

?? that is old news. Boot out the management because of that? Seems kind of minor in the greater scheme of things.

isaidso

March 31st, 2008, 11:02 AM

It might seem minor to you, but that type of mentality should not be tolerated in a modern society. I'm not in favour of booting anyone out of town, but that ROM management has got a lot of nerve. Street vendors should be allowed on ANY non-residential sidewalk. This city does NOT belong to one group more than any other.

I'd rather have a hot dog vendor with principles over for dinner than anyone who thinks they are a cut above someone else because they work in a gallery or museum. It's the same nauseating behaviour luxury brand whores adopt. Associate with luxury or prestige to make one feel better about themselves at someone else's expense. How do you think it must feel to be told by some snotty suit type that you aren't good enough to be near 'their' precious building?

I have zero tolerance for it. I'm a bit surprised that you are ok with this. The 'greater scheme of things' is a dangerous road to go down.

Coral Builder

April 1st, 2008, 03:14 AM

Isiado, I'd have to agree with Taller on this one. I think that Hot Dog vendors are awesome, but culturally speaking, they take away from the effect the ROM is trying to create, and lets face it, they're trying to build a global cultural icon here. In many ways its the same reason heights on buildings are restricted in certain areas, despite the preference of many developers to build whatever they want (for lack of a better example). Hot Dog vendors have to respect certain restrictions (just like everyone else), and lets face it, you wouldn't like to see a hot dog stand in front of the Guggenheim, the Met or the Tate Modern either. Your argument reminds me of the type of politically correct nonesense that paralyzes Canadians, I'll just leave it at that... I'm on this new kick where I'm really trying not to offend anyone (its a lot harder then it sounds)..Cheers

Taller, Better

April 1st, 2008, 03:31 AM

No, I wholly agree with Isaido's argument; I realize now how badly I expressed myself. When the issue was happening, my opinions in the lengthy debate we had over it were along the lines of Isaidso's. However, this misguided proposal was so obviously wanting in respect for the hot dog vendors that it is now happily ancient history, as far as I know. The ROM got a well deserved black eye over it, but the management of the ROM, and in particular William Thorsell has virtually willed this extraordinary project to happen, and given a gift to Toronto that not only brought the ROM into the 21st Century, but gave a good strong nudge to the entire city in that direction. I guess I was just saying we all make mistakes, and in this case bygones should be bygones! But in reading what I wrote, I most definitely did not make that clear! :)

isaidso

April 3rd, 2008, 10:08 AM

Coral Builder:

Isn't it the ROM who is inflicting paralysis? They are attempting to sanitize a city. It is they who are placing restrictions on a free vibrant society. What they do INSIDE the building is one thing, but to dictate what goes on outside is a bit rich. It is diversity that makes cities dynamic. I would very much expect and want to see hot dog vendors outside the Guggenheim or Tate Modern. They enrich the experience of a global cultural icon, they don't detract from it. If people don't want the hot dogs they won't buy them. This is a crucial feature and reason for the success of liberal democracies. You give the people what they want.

By the way, you shouldn't be worried about offending people if you're convinced that you are doing the right thing. Some people need their eyes opened. I don't want this thread hijacked by this issue, so perhaps, we should get back to what a fabulous asset the ROM addition has been to Toronto. It is one of the most significant structures to bless this city ever.

Renaissance ROM? We could easily be talking about Renaissance Toronto with this building and the huge transformation the entire city is under going.

lena5538

April 3rd, 2008, 10:43 AM

woww. it looks like a space building!

yin_yang

April 3rd, 2008, 06:34 PM

http://img95.exs.cx/img95/318/romnight1iz.jpg

this would have been way cooler.

isaidso

April 21st, 2008, 11:04 AM

^^It's a museum, so having that much natural sunlight is not suitable. Sunlight causes damage. That's why most gallery space is devoid of windows. The ROM is fabulous, as is Museum subway station which has been renovated with a ROM theme. I walked to Museum station yesterday to check it out. It was a great PR coup for the ROM. The finished product is fabulous.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4225i.jpg

The intent of the subway station renovation was to reflect some of the treasures upstairs in the Royal Ontario Museum... thus the structural columns on the platform were all covered with replicas of items in the collection:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4221i.jpg

here is a Wuikinuxv First Nations house post (from the West Coast of Canada):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4217i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4203i.jpg

A pilaster bearing the relief of the Egyptian God Osiris:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4215i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4200i.jpg

and here is the back view:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4207i.jpg

a Toltec warrior:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4199i.jpg

and him from the back:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4212i.jpg

Greek Doric Columns (the oldest style of Greek column orders):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4209i.jpg

Chinese "Forbidden City" columns:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4206i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4204i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4198i.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/dawnd_01/Autumn%202007/winter%202007/IMGP4196i.jpg

My only criticism is the ceiling. They really should make it as beautiful as the rest of it. Even a simple re-cladding to match the brown of the walls would do the trick. Hopefully, they aren't finished yet.