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

There seems to be only 3 shades of panels (light, medium and darker). Seems suspicious to me that the differences would be so uniform. Either this is by design or some of the cladding is still covered by something. If the cladding was a mistake wouldn't the cladding show multiple shades of white instead of 3?
 
^I was about to mention that myself. At the very worst, pieces can be changed - if required.

Comparing this building to the Olympic Stadium in Montreal - and the numerous problems surrounding that project - is considerably over the top. More likely a case of confusing one's own opinion with objective facts.
 
I'm loving the entrance.

Also the pictures on the first page show a little red booth in front of the entrance. I wonder if that is still planned.
 
CanadianNational said:
It's both arbitrary and awfully precise, playful yet nearly inhuman all at once - a confusing hard clash of qualities, with the soothing mask of respectability and history removed.
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Man, you've got an extraordinary knack for uncannily bang-on and impressively eloquent descriptions of architecture and art. More, please!
 
What a beautiful blank canvas ...

... for the graf artist;)

I wonder what kind of security will be in place to prevent this (vandalism) from happening@say 3AM?

It's starting to grow on me...much like staring at a dinosaur fossil. But I wonder: what if the outer skin had been treated wood to make it more Canadian?

I also wonder if UofT engineering students will practise their tricks on climbing the walls during frosh week or halloween....

Now fill that void between the crystals and Bloor St with some scultures--otherwise, it'll become dead space.
 
Irishmonk said:
Hate to pee on everyone's parade but they really screwed up on the cladding. However, that's just the badly made icing on what was already a wretched, misconceived cake. Plagued by budget shortfalls, poor decision making (the winning design), and lousy public relations (the planned condo) this project is morphing into our own version of the Olympic Stadium. In similar fashion it will be a long running source of civic embarrassement and quite likely the most despised building in Toronto. And the lawsuits and leaky ceilings haven't even started. *shudder*
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Way over the top. I don't agree with any of that other than the 'badly made icing' metaphor, and that there may be a lawsuit regarding just that.

CanadianNational said:
On a side note: I'm surprised at all the anger and attention on here about the slight value differences in the cladding. Personally, I like it, or at least I don't give a fig. To me it gives some subtle interest to the facade, marking the seams and handicraft of assembly. It think the facade might be more bland for being 'perfect'. If it had come out that way, it would have been grounds for a set of different complaints.
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I wouldn't mind the differences if they looked planned. They look like zero quality control, and that's unacceptable for a building of this stature.

Ed007Toronto said:
There seems to be only 3 shades of panels (light, medium and darker). Seems suspicious to me that the differences would be so uniform. Either this is by design or some of the cladding still is covered by something. If the cladding was a mistake wouldn't the cladding show multiple shades of white instead of 3?
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Maybe there were only three lots made before it was all cut up.

Canuck said:
I'm loving the entrance.
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I'm afraid that's the gift shop entrance. The main entrance itself is further east, and I don't think it's prominent enough.

Pep'rJack said:
Man, (CanadianNantional) you've got an extraordinary knack for uncannily bang-on and impressively eloquent descriptions of architecture and art. More, please!
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Agreed!

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Well, it might certainly be a "civic embarassment" to the same people who think the NPS walkways (and the refusal of the NPS competition jury to tear'em all down) are a "civic embarassment"...
 
Canuck said:
Also the pictures on the first page show a little red booth in front of the entrance. I wonder if that is still planned.
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I'm certain it is - the entrance is otherwise hidden from the west. They will need the red pillar to help people locate it.

42
 
There are three shades - if you count the protective covering.

The only tonal uniformity is in the protective covering.

The cladding panels beneath the protective covering are in two different shades.

The term "die lots" is the one that I've heard most often from workers on site when explaining why there are two tones to the cladding.
 
i like the "die lots"

They give the building character; infact they make the place look like it's wrapped in wood not aluminum. Reminds me of old unpainted barns you see out in the countryside. I think the only serious flaw to the design is the waste of interior space--awkward interior angles to fill with: what? Also, in retrospect, i'm certain there could have been a cheaper process to building the cube--prefabricated "sandwich" panels installed on site?

So 3.5 stars (out of 5--dead spaces look "suburban" imho) for exterior; will wait a few months until i see interior to give my final rating/analysis.

I've worked with die lots btw: a huge pain in the ass to control--frankly impossible. Ofcourse, it could have been intentional....
 
re: Spirit House Chairs...

Those chairs are for people to sit? I'm not sure if people will know. Some may think it's a piece of art.

I remember I went to the Gallery of Ottawa before. In the contemporary art section, there's one bench in the middle of the room. Friends and I were not sure if it's for siting or it's a piece of art. After asking a security guard, he said it's a bench! Duh, lol.
 
I can think of worse things than to live in a world where everyday objects are works of art.

The galleries haven't been installed yet, so I think it is premature to declare them a failure based on an assumption that they are a "waste of interior space".
 
The Harry Rosen website has an interview with the little gnome - in which he talks about the buildings he designs, his habit of wearing black, and music.
 
Denver Art Museum

Let's compare what we have with another Libeskind crystal: the new wing of Denver Art Museum. They chose titanium for their cladding

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