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

I think one of the conceptual conflicts of the project is that Libeskind's designs are maybe more suited to institutions where the building it short on content but large in meaning, projects where the building forms an integral part of the expression. I have no trouble with the crystal concept and the bold expression; however it feels forced at the ROM. The ROM's problem is it basically has too much content for a constrained space. This feeling is enhanced by devoting more space to the expression of the building while the galleries themselves are almost embarrassingly cluttered with content and much of the collection sits in storage. Putting the temporary exhibition space in an underground bunker was a necessary solution but it feels wrong down there.

Conceptual fantasy if we set aside the fiscal realities for a moment, one wonders if the ROM is just trying to shoe-horn too many areas of interest under one roof. Splitting up into two institutions covering say natural history and human civilization with only one occupying the current site would allow for the galleries to be reconfigured and let the building breath.
 
TrickyRicky said:
Conceptual fantasy if we set aside the fiscal realities for a moment, one wonders if the ROM is just trying to shoe-horn too many areas of interest under one roof. Splitting up into two institutions covering say natural history and human civilization with only one occupying the current site would allow for the galleries to be reconfigured and let the building breath.
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It's been discussed on here and elsewhere, and in the long run it might be a good idea to do so.

AoD
 
Not setting the fiscal realities aside, the ROM has not even had the money to get going on the Dawn of Life gallery until just recently, so you'll finally get into that in 2021.

I do get a little exasperated when pie-in-the-sky dreams about tearing down the crystal start to get discussed seriously by people who have zero ability to make it happen. If you have an extra half billion $ to spare, then it becomes a serious consideration, but otherwise, even finding $5 million to complete a gallery that's been closed ever since the ROM's transformation started has taken 15 years.

Lots of issues with the crystal can be saved by finding another $25 million, for better finishes in places, for example on the stair of wonders, especially in regards to replacing its crash doors with something befitting the name of the feature. The crystal and ROM can be improved without spending hundreds of millions that they do not have.

42
 
interchange42 said:
Lots of issues with the crystal can be saved by finding another $25 million, for better finishes in places, for example on the stair of wonders
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I noticed that. The stair of wonders is very barren. Very white and very unfinished. It's as though they ran out of money to properly finish off the drywall. Also.. it is very white and very empty.

It feels like more of an emergency exit than a proper stairwell.
 
Richard White said:
I noticed that. The stair of wonders is very barren. Very white and very unfinished. It's as though they ran out of money to properly finish off the drywall. Also.. it is very white and very empty.

It feels like more of an emergency exit than a proper stairwell.
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We have been through the Stairs of Banality many, many times in this thread - and went through different remedies for it as well. One thing for sure, RenROM could have used more money right off the start - nor the gallery redesigns carried to their logical conclusion. The whole place have a disjointed feel that goes beyond the shortcomings of the addition.

AoD
 
ROM 1.0 Natural History on Bloor - tap Canada's Corporate natural resource industrial complex for donations. ROM 2.0 Weston Museum of Human civilization and Museum of Toronto takes over Old City Hall. Boom! Phone it in.

Anyways this thread is better served by discussing real incremental improvements to the building so I won't comment further. It's clear however that a few aesthetic detail improvements will really do nothing to address the shortcomings of the previous reimagining of the building. I base this on my opinion as a regular patron of the museum.
 
The ROM also generates revenue by having its blue whale skeleton and Zuul (later on) tour other museums.

Likewise, the ROM has to spend to host temporary exhibits.

The ROM will never rival that of the British Museum, the Louvre, or the Met, but the ROM can come close.
 
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Holy sh%t- worst, shocking exterior reno ... or a magical return to the original proposal (opaque glass when/where needed and transparency when available ..plus puzzle glass motif).

Despite the shape, Daniel's crystal design was just as much about the skin. Very few extruded aluminium crystals. So I dream that the Mossad has taken over and we'll see the original idea in some form lol.

The drywall interior issues remain of course.

This was a big suprise... probably drainage issues. Ignore buttons in effect of course.
 
3Dementia said:
or a magical return to the original proposal (opaque glass when/where needed and transparency when available ..plus puzzle glass motif).
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Replacing the metal panels with frosted white glass with LEDs underneath to light up the crystal at night would solve most of the aesthetic issues many people have with the addition. The interior needs much more work, not the least of which is a solution for the lack of a southern crystal which was supposed to provide a continuous loop to resolve the ROM's decades long circulation problem.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
My guess is they are just repairing leaks in the watertight cladding units underneath. Wouldn't hurt to dream of that other possibility though.

AoD
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I want to be a little more optimistic and note that they've removed all the cladding, not just access sections. Having seen them install the cladding, each slat is individual and independent of the ones surrounding it so there's no need to remove everything to access one portion. If they were repairing leaks, wouldn't they just remove the problem areas and patch them up? Then again, maybe they're redoing the whole roof.

In the meantime, I'll try to remain optimistic that something is being done about the ugly cladding...
 
MetroMan said:
I want to be a little more optimistic and note that they've removed all the cladding, not just access sections. Having seen them install the cladding, each slat is individual and independent of the ones surrounding it so there's no need to remove everything to access one portion. If they were repairing leaks, wouldn't they just remove the problem areas and patch them up? Then again, maybe they're redoing the whole roof.

In the meantime, I'll try to remain optimistic that something is being done about the ugly cladding...
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Except that the joints for the panels underneath are not parallel to the slats - you might not have to remove all the cladding - but if you have to remove enough of them, you'd might as well do that so that it's easier to build that support structure.

AoD
 
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