Diamond Schmitt’s design for the art gallery at Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery in Ontario was featured in an article by Christine Klein for Architect’s Journal.
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is about to undergo its seventh expansion project. The Toronto Museum of Art announced today that it has chosen Diamond Schmidt, Selldorf Architect and To Row Architect to design a new addition to the gallery that will be called Danny Reese Modern & Contemporary Gallery, following a generous gift from Danny Reese, President and CEO of winterwear brand Canada Goose.
This latest expansion will rise five stories and add 40,000 square feet to the establishment’s current size of 480,000 square feet. Over the past decade, the Foundation’s collection has grown exponentially, with over 20,000 items added. The expansion will allow the museum to display its growing collection of contemporary and modern art in no less than 13 new exhibition spaces that are designed to be flexible and will allow for improved circulation through the museum. This new campaign will increase the viable exhibition space by 30 percent.
The architectural team of Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architects was selected to work through a competitive RFP process. Their selection was based on their experience, portfolio, methodologies and understanding of the brief, as well as the proposed budget and schedule. After selection, the team started working on the proposed scheme.
The addition will be located on the site just east of the building designed by Gehry and above the existing loading dock. These existing gallery buildings provided the inspiration for the design of this latest addition, and the design is derived from the structures’ form and material significance.
“The modern architecture surrounding Grange Park is characterized by prismatic forms with intense materiality,” said Donald Schmitt, Principal of Diamond Schmitt Architects. that. “Danny Reese’s modern and contemporary gallery complements the context elementally which will be covered in a natural material reflecting the sky, light and blue titanium of the Gehry building.”
The new showroom is targeting operational zero carbon certification, and this goal will be factored into all design decisions. The design team said that They are looking at this stage to achieve the addition of a steel structure covered with a terracotta facade.
Read the full article here.