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
Codes and Standards | Jan 8, 2024
Australia to be first country to ban engineered stone countertops
In 2024, Australia will be the first country to ban engineered stone countertops. The ban came after a years-long campaign supported by doctors, trade unions, and workers over concerns that the material was causing increased silicosis cases among workers cutting and handling it.
Roofing | Jan 8, 2024
Researchers devise adaptive roof tile concept that adjusts to ambient temperatures
Scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara published a paper that proposes adaptive roof tile technology that can adjust to ambient temperatures. Using a wax motor, tiles could switch from a heating or cooling state enabling savings on heating and cooling costs.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 4, 2024
Bjarke Ingels's curved residential high-rise will anchor a massive urban regeneration project in Greece
In Athens, Greece, Lamda Development has launched Little Athens, the newest residential neighborhood at the Ellinikon, a multiuse development billed as a smart city. Bjarke Ingels Group's 50-meter Park Rise building will serve as Little Athens’ centerpiece.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | Jan 4, 2024
Top 10 trends in multifamily rental housing
Demographic and economic shifts, along with work and lifestyle changes, have made apartment living preferable for a wider range of buyers and renters. These top 10 trends in multifamily housing come from BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Annual Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 3, 2024
Top 200 Reconstruction Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, Stantec, HDR, Corgan, and PBK Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest building reconstruction/renovation architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Designers | Jan 3, 2024
Designing better built environments for a neurodiverse world
For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
Giants 400 | Jan 2, 2024
Top 120 Hotel Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, WATG, HKS, DLR Group, and HBG Design top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hotel and resort architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Resiliency | Jan 2, 2024
Americans are migrating from areas of high flood risk
Americans are abandoning areas of high flood risk in significant numbers, according to research by the First Street Foundation. Climate Abandonment Areas account for more than 818,000 Census Blocks and lost a total of 3.2 million-plus residents due to flooding from 2000 to 2020, the study found.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 2, 2024
New York City will slash regulations on housing projects
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to cut red tape to make it easier and less costly to build housing projects in the city. Adams would exempt projects with fewer than 175 units in low-density residential areas and those with fewer than 250 units in commercial, manufacturing, and medium- and high-density residential areas from environmental review.
Contractors | Dec 22, 2023
DBIA releases two free DEI resources for AEC firms
The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has released two new resources offering guidance and provisions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on design-build projects.