Benito
Senior Member
That is great news, I am really looking forward to this newest update for the ROM.
MetroMan
Senior Member
The ROM is spending $50M to "correct mistakes" of the Michael Lee Chin Crystal.
http://m.thestar.com/#/article/ente...ew-rom-ceo-will-roll-out-the-welcome-mat.html
Some of the changes are described as "structural", one of them being opening a "dramatic new window" on to Bloor Street.
I'm glad that they're making adjustments and not nixing the Crystal as I think it holds significant potential.
Aside from circulation issues and difficulty displaying collections on slanted walls, from an aesthetic standpoint, I'm really hoping that they reclad the thing. The mismatched siding was clearly an expensive mistake that Renaissance ROM CEO William Thorsell was too embarrassed to admit.
In today's increasingly LED lit architecture, a white opaque glass could be fitted with LEDs below to change the colour of the Crystal for an incredible effect at night. During the day, it would be a monolithic white iceberg reflecting the city's light. Could be quite spectacular!
This could be fairly easy to do because the slats on the Crystal are already lifted above the sub skin to form a drainage for snow and ice. Replacing the metal slats with glass slats of the same size would accomplish the goal while leaving room underneath for a network of LEDs. It would even be possible to program the colour of each slat individually, allowing for mind blowing light shows.
http://m.thestar.com/#/article/ente...ew-rom-ceo-will-roll-out-the-welcome-mat.html
Some of the changes are described as "structural", one of them being opening a "dramatic new window" on to Bloor Street.
I'm glad that they're making adjustments and not nixing the Crystal as I think it holds significant potential.
Aside from circulation issues and difficulty displaying collections on slanted walls, from an aesthetic standpoint, I'm really hoping that they reclad the thing. The mismatched siding was clearly an expensive mistake that Renaissance ROM CEO William Thorsell was too embarrassed to admit.
In today's increasingly LED lit architecture, a white opaque glass could be fitted with LEDs below to change the colour of the Crystal for an incredible effect at night. During the day, it would be a monolithic white iceberg reflecting the city's light. Could be quite spectacular!
This could be fairly easy to do because the slats on the Crystal are already lifted above the sub skin to form a drainage for snow and ice. Replacing the metal slats with glass slats of the same size would accomplish the goal while leaving room underneath for a network of LEDs. It would even be possible to program the colour of each slat individually, allowing for mind blowing light shows.
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Towered
Senior Member
How about actually replacing the cheap metal slats with the frosted glass that Libeskind originally proposed?
urbandreamer
recession proof
If I'm ever a billionaire, the first thing I'll do is bulldoze the ROMbarn.
MetroMan
Senior Member
To add insult to injury, the metal slats weren't "cheap". They were custom made in Germany if I recall correctly. They were much more expensive than glass. An all glass crystal was ruled out because of light sensitivity of the artifacts inside. What they could have done was what I just proposed. An enclosed building with a glass skin and backlighting. The ROM's collection would still be enclosed in a light controlled building but the exterior would still shine.
Canadian Chocho
Active Member
I don't even mind a metallic finish, but this one is just messy looking.
Would much prefer something like The Crystals.
Would much prefer something like The Crystals.
Silence&Motion
Senior Member
It isn't just the UV issues. The cladding is designed to direct rain and snow into a series of gutters to prevent major build up of snow and ice. This is why they can't simply go with the cladding used in The Crystals - that building's located in a desert.
stjames2queenwest
Senior Member
I like the ROM crystal. Maybe it could have been better but I think it's pretty cool. Some of the interior spaces are kinda awkward, but whatever.
old boy
Senior Member
This is good news. A number of shortcomings have been discussed over the years, including the vapid entrance off Bloor which feels like a herding corral. Talk about a missed opportunity to create a sense of occasion. With the new landscaping coming on the west side of the ROM at Bloor, a new ground level restaurant should be great addition for the public. The same can be said if the former C 5 restaurant is resurrected which offers some great views of the city . It's common knowledge that the interior spaces of the Crystal are awkward with sloping , angular walls that only dust bunnies would approve, but it's said an improvement will be attempted made to improve the exhibit areas. The new curator thinks the ROM has a top tier future with it's comprehensive and varied collections, and I agree. The original Crystal is bold and demands attention on this urbane corner of lot of Toronto. Once inside the building, the excitement is not sustained. As a long time member who has been brought up with the various incarnations of the Museum , I look forward to the latest proposal .
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
For all the ills, it got built in conservative Toronto, which is a miracle in and on its' own considering how "wasteful" the structure is in terms of steel and whatnot. Thorsell should be commend for pulling it off, albeit with reservations. Wish they can redesign the cladding a little more, perhaps something that resembles - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widmanstätten_pattern. That add in some recessed LED lightening and it could look spectacular.
And yes, the metal slats aren't "cheap" - they're from Josef Gartner, though the material could certainly be more exotic than aluminium. The interior finishing can use some improvement too - the white walls are horrendously sensitive to dirt, the "Stair of Wonders" have all the charm of a fire escape (and those doors - how about some fire-rated glass ones that communicates to vistors "use me" instead of steel fire doors that slams?) with nothing much wonderful, and the flooring of the galleries screams cheap (a nice blonde maple could rectify that - or go luxe with limestone or dark slate).
AoD
And yes, the metal slats aren't "cheap" - they're from Josef Gartner, though the material could certainly be more exotic than aluminium. The interior finishing can use some improvement too - the white walls are horrendously sensitive to dirt, the "Stair of Wonders" have all the charm of a fire escape (and those doors - how about some fire-rated glass ones that communicates to vistors "use me" instead of steel fire doors that slams?) with nothing much wonderful, and the flooring of the galleries screams cheap (a nice blonde maple could rectify that - or go luxe with limestone or dark slate).
AoD
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Skeezix
Senior Member
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What does this mean? Are they talking about messing with the beautiful rotunda? Or are they simply referring to the exterior? If the latter, what's gloomy about it?
Does anyone have information on this aspect of the project? This talk of a "flashy makeover" sounds appalling on its face, but it might make more sense if we had a better understanding of what it is they're proposing.
Oh my God, yes. I don't mind the exterior of the Crystal. What I find most disappointing are the interiors, and it's always the Stair of [sic] Wonders and the fire doors (which they appear to have gotten cheap at Costco) which are the among the worst/cheapest elements.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
It's Martin Knelman afterall - I will take it with a grain of salt until the details get released by the ROM.
The polymer floors of the crystal galleries bugs me to no end - they look and feel cheap beyond belief. The Staircase of Wonders (in addition to it being a misnomer right now) doesn't work as a circulation element - you can hardly tell it's meant to be used as is. The concrete core it sits in need to be wrapped by something special in the exterior - either through cladding or using the white drywall as a canvas for constant 24/7 projected imagery in a way that attracts attention and marvel. That, and entire interior surface should be filled by the little "vitrines" display cases - instead of here and there as it stands right now. That will denote true wonders.
Better yet, they should turn the staircase into a bona fide gallery - a staircase of life denoting the evolution from life to sentience to contemporary material culture.
AoD
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Exactly what I wondered when I read that. That space isn't gloomy, it's glorious. Since the article says that all this is essentially a wish list at this point, no doubt there's lots of time for comment on any plans that firm up.
I would like to see the Queens Park doors as an entrance again, but unless they link it to another renovation on that side of the building, I think that Bloor should be maintained as an entrance as well as the Queens Park rotunda simply did not handle the crowds when they were big way back when. That other renovation I mentioned however, would be to resurrect the plan for a direct link to Museum Station into a reworked school kids entrance on the lower floor. That could be rebuilt to handle people arriving directly from the subway as well, and could be coordinated with the U of T's plan for the redevelopment of the planetarium site. That entrance plus the main doors on Queens Park could spread the entry load out enough to turn the Bloor entrance area into the cafe that was mentioned.
I've complained about that at length before too.
Yes, the floors should be improved in the crystal galleries, and I love the projections idea for the Stair of Wonders. I've stumped for far more built-in cases to go in: the ROM has smooch of the collection still hidden away. Wood railings would add warmth. Glass doors are an absolute must.
Here's hoping that Basseches can work the wonders here that he has in Massachusetts.
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
They need to take cues from interior designers for the stairs - like over the top, kaleidoscope treatment with specimens and artifacts. I am not keen on wood for that space - I am keen on using top notch lighting and other effects, combined with excess to create a wow - a space that screams if you don't see anything else, you need to see this for the museum.
Think the idea of emptying out the collections of ROM, opening it up to the eyes in a book/catalogue room kind of effect. It need to mesmerize.
AoD
Red October
Senior Member
Agreed. Haters gonna hate, but the crystal on the ROM definitely is what makes it a landmark. The old building is beautiful but it would never stand out among any other museum in a similar building.
That being said the interior spaces can be pretty awkward and the doors are very unspectacular. Those are the parts that need improving.