By lifitng the bulk of the building high above ground level, the new Vancouver Art Gallery will double its display space and increase its outdoor area.
This week, the gallery unveiled Herzog & de Meuron’s design for a new museum in downtown Vancouver, reports ArchDaily. The blocky, seven-story wood and concrete structure is wider in the middle and uppermost floors.
The shape will give the gallery 85,000 sf of exhibition space (more than twice its current size), a 350-seat auditorium, and other amenities. An open-air, 40,000-sf courtyard will be at ground level, and it will hold art displays, performances, concerts, film screenings, and collaborative programs.
The 230-foot-tall gallery will also have views of the city and North Shore Mountains.
“The urbanistic concept is based on the contrast between the low-rise framing along the street block and the taller and more sculptural building in the middle of an open and accessible garden and square,” said Jacques Herzog in a press release. “The low-rise wooden building along the street is inspired by how the streets in Vancouver were built in earlier times. The modest, almost domestic scale will enhance the character of openness and visibility for everyone.”
Vancouver Art Gallery chose Herzog & de Meuron as its architect in April 2014. The Swiss architecture firm has designed some notable art venues over the past decade, including San Francisco’s de Young Museum in 2005 and Miami’s Perez Art Museum in 2013.
The gallery will raise $350 million (Canadian) from private and public sources for the new gallery's construction.
Related Stories
Contractors | Feb 3, 2015
Nonresidential construction spending expands in December 2014
Seven of 16 nonresidential construction subsectors posted increases in spending in December on a monthly basis.
Office Buildings | Feb 3, 2015
Bjarke Ingels' BIG proposes canopied, vertical village for Middle East media company
The tensile canopy shades a relaxation plaza from the desert sun.
Fire-Rated Products | Feb 3, 2015
AIA course: Fire and life safety in large buildings
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 2, 2015
D.C. developer sees apartment project as catalyst for modeling neighborhood after N.Y.'s popular High Line district
It’s no accident that the word “Highline” is in this project’s name. The goal is for the building to be a kind of gateway into the larger redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood to resemble New York’s City’s trendy downtown Meatpacking District, through which runs a portion the High Line elevated park.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 1, 2015
7 new factors shaping hospital emergency departments
A new generation of highly efficient emergency care facilities is upping the ante on patient care and convenience while helping to reposition hospital systems within their local markets.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
5 intriguing trends to track in the multifamily housing game
Demand for rental apartments and condos hasn’t been this strong in years, and our experts think the multifamily sector still has legs. But you have to know what developers, tenants, and buyers are looking for to have any hope of succeeding in this fast-changing market sector.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
20% down?!! Survey exposes how thin renters’ wallets are
A survey of more than 25,000 adults found the renters to be more burdened by debt than homeowners and severely short of emergency savings.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 31, 2015
Production builders are still shying away from rental housing
Toll Brothers, Lennar, and Trumark are among a small group of production builders to engage in construction for rental customers.
Architects | Jan 30, 2015
Exhibit captures 60 of Bjarke Ingels' projects — from hottest to coldest places on Earth
The Hot to Cold exhibit encompasses 60 of BIG’s recent projects captured by Iwan Baan´s masterful photography.
BIM and Information Technology | Jan 29, 2015
Lego X by Gravity elevates the toy to a digital modeling kit
With the Lego X system, users can transfer the forms they’ve created with legos into real-time digital files.