Design Philosophy
Our design sees the Art Gallery of Ontario as a place where people can experience great works of art in appropriate and diverse settings; a place filled with light and calm, inspiring ail who enter its domain. The source for this vision is drawn from the Gallery's own history, from the unique community within which the Gallery resides and most importantly, from its place in the Canadian landscape and imagination.
The 1966 proposaI for the last two phases of the design saw the new structure "physically and spiritually wrapped around the Walker Court." The last twenty years have seen the completion of Stages One and Two and have afforded the opportunity to reappraise the additions to this historic Gallery.
Once again our legacy demands that we preserve the best ofwhat we have while developing a larger vision for the future. It is our contention that the proposed location and scale ofthe sculpture court would compromise the autonomy and historie authenticity of The Grange house.
The design for the final stage carefully preserves the Walker Court, the historie galleries, and sections of the Stage One and Two expansion which will strategically underpin and clarify the order of the more recent work and which will confidently place the Art Gallery of Ontario alongside other world-class cultural institutions.
(From specialized magazine)
Competition Critique by Stephen V. Irwin
This scheme was heavily influenced by the courageous decision to not create a sculpture court behind The Grange, since this would destroy the building's historical integrity. The sculpture galleries, by being located at grade on Dundas Street, pushed the retail to sub-grade or basement space. It is questionable whether these galleries would add sufficiently to the life of the street and whether the retail would be successful, which would have serious economic repercussions within the Gallery. The looped second-floor gallery circulation route is achieved by a questionable connection bridge through the existing vaulted Walker Court colonnade. The tall, but narrow curving skylit space visually connects a number of levels and spaces in an interesting manner. The Grange Park facade creates a series of masses scaled to the existing buildings, although it is hard to comprehend the reason for the use of green slate. The northern Dundas Street facade has good rhythm, scale, and entrance definition, but the steps leading to the sculpture gallery windows are questionable. The concept depends on an inordinate amount of renovation work over and above the program requirements.
(From specialized magazine)
6 scanned / 6 viewable
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