MetroMan
Senior Member
^ Actually, it was your statement that "all that glass would be incredibly expensive" that prompted my comments, not my dislike for the cladding. I just thought that such an omission (skyscrapers use vast amounts of glass) deserved a retort and in no way meant to be derogatory.
As for the original proposal being glass. Indeed it was. I'll try to find the early documents. I kept some pretty good records of the whole process as this building captivated my imagination and excitement from day one.
Soon after being selected, Libeskind's proposal went to a more specific 80%* glass to 60%* and now we're at 25%*? Talk about watering down the winning design.
*approximate figures from recollection
Here are a couple of original proposal photos that illustrate the predominantly glass structure:
Notice the glass ceiling in the interior render.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate this building. In fact, the day it opened I picked up my first ever museum membership and I just renewed it for another year this week.
I feel that certain aspects of the building have been poorly executed, principally in the interior.
Like somebody said above, the "Stair of Wonders" is just a stair. There's nothing wonderful about it. This is actually one of the poorest spaces in the entire building, perhaps one that tips the domino and makes the other shortcomings stand out.
Had the "stair of wonders" lived up to its name and worked as a beautiful central staircase up through the crystal galleries, I would probably not have noticed other smaller issues.
As it stands now, William Thorsell's To Do List should include:
- Repair or replace entirely the finishings in the stair of wonders. They were delivered scratched and with broken rivets throughout. The blast resistant doors instill a feeling of isolation from the main building and of being in a fire escape. The stairs themselves are prone to dirt (or the ROM maintenance crew just don't clean them regularly).
- Bring justice to its name: Stair of Wonders. Install more items throughout the stair. Make creative use of the space such as hanging pieces from the ceiling and installing display cases along the walls. A collection of led soldiers and a bunch of horns and antlers don't qualify as "wonders".
- Admit that the extruded aluminum cladding was a mistake and correct it by replacing the cladding with another material. Glass slats could work really well, specially because they could be lit from behind. There's a rather large space between the exterior cladding and the outer skin of the building. Installing LED's (like the CN Tower's) could bring this building to yet an even higher and more iconic level. It would shine during the day and glow at night.
- Make better use of the central court. They should have installed a major piece at the center of the court but alas... this museum is a museum of the capitalistic 21st Century where museums are also event venues so this space must be kept wide open.
As for the original proposal being glass. Indeed it was. I'll try to find the early documents. I kept some pretty good records of the whole process as this building captivated my imagination and excitement from day one.
Soon after being selected, Libeskind's proposal went to a more specific 80%* glass to 60%* and now we're at 25%*? Talk about watering down the winning design.
*approximate figures from recollection
Here are a couple of original proposal photos that illustrate the predominantly glass structure:
Notice the glass ceiling in the interior render.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate this building. In fact, the day it opened I picked up my first ever museum membership and I just renewed it for another year this week.
I feel that certain aspects of the building have been poorly executed, principally in the interior.
Like somebody said above, the "Stair of Wonders" is just a stair. There's nothing wonderful about it. This is actually one of the poorest spaces in the entire building, perhaps one that tips the domino and makes the other shortcomings stand out.
Had the "stair of wonders" lived up to its name and worked as a beautiful central staircase up through the crystal galleries, I would probably not have noticed other smaller issues.
As it stands now, William Thorsell's To Do List should include:
- Repair or replace entirely the finishings in the stair of wonders. They were delivered scratched and with broken rivets throughout. The blast resistant doors instill a feeling of isolation from the main building and of being in a fire escape. The stairs themselves are prone to dirt (or the ROM maintenance crew just don't clean them regularly).
- Bring justice to its name: Stair of Wonders. Install more items throughout the stair. Make creative use of the space such as hanging pieces from the ceiling and installing display cases along the walls. A collection of led soldiers and a bunch of horns and antlers don't qualify as "wonders".
- Admit that the extruded aluminum cladding was a mistake and correct it by replacing the cladding with another material. Glass slats could work really well, specially because they could be lit from behind. There's a rather large space between the exterior cladding and the outer skin of the building. Installing LED's (like the CN Tower's) could bring this building to yet an even higher and more iconic level. It would shine during the day and glow at night.
- Make better use of the central court. They should have installed a major piece at the center of the court but alas... this museum is a museum of the capitalistic 21st Century where museums are also event venues so this space must be kept wide open.
