Toronto Royal Ontario Museum | ?m | ?s | Daniel Libeskind

Canadian Architect

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Viewpoint

By Ian Chodikoff

In the dizzying run-up to the opening celebrations of the Royal Ontario Museum's (ROM) Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on June 2nd, every architecture, design, and cultural critic in Toronto was frantically weighing in on the architectural acumen of Daniel Libeskind--the so-called "creative genius" behind the ROM's expansion. This is unfortunate. The general public has been largely misled into believing that a massive and complex building like the ROM is complete as soon as the orders are given for the scaffolding to be cleared away. Amidst this frenzy, the temptation to provide immediate and full coverage of such a significant cultural building is obvious, given the amount of ink that has been devoted to it. However, due to the fact that the Crystal is incomplete, riddled with deficiencies and lacking any exhibitions (with the exception of Hiroshi Sugimoto's temporary installation), the addition to the ROM is ineligible for review at this time. Being drawn into the proverbial circus tent to be the first to see its "naked space" can be likened to viewing a concert hall without its seating, orchestra pit and stage. The ROM was designed to be a museum, after all. Judging it prematurely as a finished entity only serves to fuel the misconceptions that the architect is a legitimate icon of creative genius or that architecture represents universal truth beyond criticism.

Amidst the paparazzi approach to architectural criticism witnessed over the past month, we shall neither confuse the character of Libeskind with the theatrics of his architecture nor criticize his aptitude in garnering interviews and photographs beneath myriad newspaper headlines. The persona of Daniel Libeskind must now recede into the background as his architecture begins the process of being adapted and appropriated by its users.

Attention should be given to the efforts, expertise and courage of all those who helped Libeskind achieve his architectural whimsy: Bregman + Hamann Architects who bit their tongues while rolling up their sleeves to fashion a building from a napkin sketch; Halsall Associates for their engineering and HVAC prowess; Walters Inc., the company who built the extraordinary steel frame; and Vanbots Construction for managing a complex construction process. Congratulations should also go out to the director and CEO of the ROM, William Thorsell, whose ability to manage a building campaign with such detail, tenacity and enthusiasm is beyond compare.

Having toured the ROM on several occasions during its construction, there is much to appreciate about its "renaissance": the complex technical difficulties, sensitivity to heritage and ambitious urban strategies. However, the initial experience of entering the Crystal after its official opening was nothing less than the discomfort of confronting the cacophony of an ill-conceived fun house. The inelegant open-grated walkways and sheer arrogance of the sloping walls physically reduces the ability to find spatial balance. The disappointment of experiencing the fire-rated egress known as the Stair of Wonders forced me to retreat into the original 1912 section of the museum by Darling and Pearson, where a deep comfort was regained in descending the grand staircase that feels like a staircase, and where the dimensions are purposeful.

A defining moment occurred during the opening ceremonies: David Suzuki, perhaps Canada's most famous environmental activist and commentator on the natural sciences, appeared on stage to say a few words. Behind me, I overheard someone ask what Suzuki has to do with the ROM and the opening ceremonies. If the museum's mandate has been overshadowed by gargantuan efforts to raise the institution's profile rather than functioning as a cultural facility whose ambitions are to explore world cultures and the natural sciences, then the value of architecture is truly at risk.
 
Last night noticed that the lack of exterior lighting makes the Crystal look a bit gloomy at night...are there plans to add exterior lighting, like in the renderings?
 
Several factual errors: The grand staircase is in the wing that opened in 1933, not the "1912 " wing ( which opened in 1914 ), and it was designed by Chapman and Oxley, not by Darling and Pearson. And Sugimoto isn't the only exhibition in the Crystal - Drama and Desire: Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690-1850 is showing in the Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall.

The ROM never misled the public into thinking the June opening was anything other than an architectural one, or that the opening was an end in itself. Their promotional campaign explained that the sequence of gallery installations would take place over the next two years after the kickoff opening event.

The elements of surprise created by the sloping walls in the galleries, the spatial disorientation when looking up at the crossing walkways in the Spirit House, and the irregular spaces that reveal themselves as you take the Stair of Wonders are all part of the visual delight of the new building Libeskind has designed for us - just as much as the more formal staircase reflects what was in vogue in 1931. The critic talks of a "staircase that feels like a staircase" but never defines what a staircase is supposed to feel like, or why.

Previous expansions to the ROM have attempted to raise the profile of the institution, as well as create more gallery / research space, just as the Crystal expansion has.
 
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ROM plaza will bring Bloor St. new life



Aug 25, 2007 04:30 AM
Christopher Hume

So far, the discussion about the new Royal Ontario Museum has been focused on the building itself, Daniel Libeskind's aggressively angular Crystal.

But in the coming weeks, much of that talk will be about the space now taking shape outside the ROM. Though it doesn't have a name, and isn't a square in the traditional sense, this new plaza is poised to become a marvellous addition to the public realm.

These days, it's little more than an empty expanse of sidewalk, but the potential is vast. Indeed, this could well become a destination in its own right, a place to go, sit, eat, chat, listen to music, watch a performance and see the world go by. It will also become a meeting spot, a concert venue, a cultural space, and an extension of the museum.

For the time being, however, much of it remains a construction site; many of the granite pavers are yet to be installed and the lawn that will extend south from the corner of Bloor and Queen's Park exists only in imagination.

The black granite benches that will be situated throughout the square haven't arrived, neither have the lighting standards, and so the landscape appears hard and uninviting.

But with seating and perhaps some artifacts from the ROM, a sculpture or two, Museum Plaza could become one of those wonderful urban spaces that make city life so appealing.

ROM CEO and president William Thorsell has high hopes for the plaza. He envisions a lively space somewhat along the lines of the square at the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

"We would like to see street performers – jugglers, hypnotists, clowns," Thorsell says.

"I see the plaza as a stage set. We've discovered that the Crystal is a very good screen. So, for example, every evening during the Toronto Film Festival, we'll be projecting a film about Darfur. For Nuit Blanche, at the end of September, we're bringing in the biggest video DJ from the U.K., who'll do work across the whole front of the Crystal. I can also see special lighting for special events and days – the equinox, Christmas, New Year's Eve ... ."

At the west end of the site, the Bennett Music Court will have more granite benches and a series of matching plinths designed so that musicians from the Royal Conservatory next door can come and play outdoors.

All this should be in place by the end of September. After that, Thorsell will embark on yet another fundraising campaign to cover the costs of special lighting equipment and a row of candle-shaped light standards that will line Bloor St.

At the same time, the advent of the new piazza raises questions about the surrounding areas, specifically Bloor St. The truth is that the city's main shopping avenue has seen better days. It has that tired look now all too familiar to Torontonians, the look of a city inadequately planned and maintained.

In fact, the Bloor Yorkville Business Improvement Area has long recognized the need to clean up the neighbourhood. Fully a decade ago, it hired Toronto architectural firm Brown and Storey to prepare a plan for the revitalization of Bloor.

The plan is to widen the sidewalks by 1.2 metres on both sides, which would create a more expansive pedestrian realm.

It also provides more space for trees, street furniture and state-of-the-art lighting.

Basically, it's a rethink of the entire surface from Avenue Rd. to Church St. The idea is to bring the public realm up to a level where it matches the quality of the shops on Bloor. It's not a very long stretch, less than a kilometre, but it's one of our most important streets.

Now that scheme will be implemented in slightly modified form.

"Things are finally coming to fruition," says the BIA immediate past chair, real estate broker Robert Saunderson.

"The most important thing is that we have funding; the commercial property owners on Bloor have agreed to pay a special tax. The city will give us a $20 million loan (and) we'll pay the money back through these taxes."

A further $5 million will be raised through Section 37, which gives the city the right to grant extra density to developers in return for cash.

Work is scheduled to begin in 2008 after various infrastructure projects are completed by the end of this year.
 
The space in front of Pompidou is huge! Which space are they talking about? The one fronting Bloor or Queens Park Circle?
 
Fronting Bloor.
It's still a respectable size and capable of handling impromptu musical performances and will be (already is) a popular meeting place.
 
wyliepoon said:
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He envisions a lively space somewhat along the lines of the square at the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Click to expand...

I'd hate to see the ROM plaza develop into a Pompidou-esque square. It's nothing but t-shirt vendors, poster shops and fast-food restaurants. Besides its surroundings, I always found it uninviting: no benches, just an uncomfortable cobble stone incline. I think its due for a change, though, with the upcoming renovation of Les Halles.
 
To raise money to finish the building, the ROM could always have advertisers sponsor nightly video displays on the exterior cladding--giant MS Vista logos, BMO etc? That is better than what I ultimately see happening: when the Lobby/Mcdonald's block is (inevitably) redeveloped, the golden arches logo shall be affixed to the cladding and a Mcd's goes inside to cater to the tastes of the masses!

Did anyone read Mays' "polite" props for the building in the latest AZURE? I would of been much tougher on the ROM....

I was chatting with a ROM staff member recently--sounds like many insiders are furious with the cheap finishing of the building and generally, the entire concept. (although from experience I know the rank and file are always negative towards any organizational/cosmetic change.) The employee did make some valid points though. I expect they'll hit the media sometime late next year.....
 
A ROM employee told me that, during a heavy storm, rainwater was sheeting down like a waterfall over the main entrance doors.
 
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