Royal Ontario Museum

Daniel Libeskind
Dr. Tawfiq Abu Ghazzeh
Students: Khaoula Madaji 8210719
Razan Al-Twal 8190596
Table of Contents:
Ontario Museum
Daniel Libskind 03
1. Museum History
01 Biography 2.
3.
General Information
Conceptual idea
1. Early Life 4. Plans
2. Professional Carrer 5. Interior
3. Philosophy 6. Structure
7. Specific details
Deconstruction
02 Conclusion
1.
2.
Definition
Principles 04
3. Style pionners 1- Critics
2- Public Point of View
01 Daniel Libskind
BIOGRAPHY
 MAY 12, 1946 (AGE 76)
BORN
ŁÓDŹ, POLAND

Nationality American

Alma mater The Cooper Union

University of Essex

Occupation Architect

Awards 1- AIA National Service Medal. US 2012

2- Medal of Honor. US. 2011
3- Buber-Rosenzweig Medal. Ger. 2010
4- Gold medal for Architecture. UK. 2007.
5- First architect to win the Hiroshima Art Prize,
awarded to an artist whose work promotes
international understanding and peace (2001)

Practice Studio Daniel Libeskind

Danial Libeskind Early
life
Daniel Libeskind lost most of his family in the Holocaust; both
of his parents were survivors, but they were two in not many
that did. He was born in 1946, shortly after the war ended in
Lodz, Poland, just a few hundred kilometers from Berlin.
At age thirteen, his family moved to New York, where his
father fell in love with the freedom and spirit of America.
Once in New York, the family
lived in an apartment in the Amalgamated Clothing Worker's
Union housing cooperative in the Bronx. His mother, Dora.
worked in a sweatshop, dyeing fur collars and sewing them
onto coats. His father, Nachman, worked in a print shop blocks
from the future site of the World Trade Center
Daniel Libeskind Early life
Libeskind didn't start in architecture. He originally was starting a
career in music, as a child prodigy playing the accordion. He
studied music in Palestine and New York on the America Culture
Foundation Scholarship in 1960.
He left music because there was no more 'technique’ that he could
acquire. He then took a real interest in drawing. He went into
architecture. calling it –a field whose 'technique' seemed so simple
in comparison to music there would never be a problem of its
ultimate exhaustion."
Danial Libeskind Early life
• His mother was a great influence in his life, and when she saw his
interest in drawing, she encouraged him to pursue architecture,
rather than art. The reason behind it being that architecture is an
art form but also a trade.

• He describes his life as nomadic, even later in his life. With his
wife
and children, he moved fourteen times in thirty-five years.
Educational Influences
• Cooper Union:
Daniel Libeskind received his Bachelors of Architecture
from Cooper Union School of Architecture in New York
City in 1970, graduating summa cum laude.' At Cooper
Union, Libeskind was a very good student. His
background as a great musician gave him a strong work
ethic and he had a strong creativity and passion for
drawing. He gained recognition of his great abilities
while at Cooper. In 1968, he briefly worked as an
apprentice for Richard Meier. The Dean at the time.
John Hejduk. also took an interest in him, and through
time always stayed in touch.'
Educational Influences
Essex University
• Daniel Libeskincl received his Masters degree in
History and Theory of Architecture from Essex
University School of Comparative Studies in
Essex. England. in 1971.' He attended Essex right
after he graduated from Cooper Union. Here he
studied under Joseph Rykwert and Dalibor
Vesely, and pursued his interest in
phenomenology, It was right after graduation
that he was hired to work at Peter Eisenman's
New York Institute for Architecture and Urban
Studies. He quit shortly after and moved on to
teaching at many universities.'
 Educational Influences
Cranbrook Academy of Art
• Daniel Libeskind was the head of the Architecture
program at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield
Hills, Michigan, from 1978-1985.5 He has been a
professor at several universities. but Cranbrook is where
he stayed the longest. It is the only time he was the
head of the department. He used his time here to think.
It was here that he did most of his theoretical drawings
and work. At this point in his career, he had not yet
designed a building. It wouldn't be until 1989 when he
was asked to submit to the design competition for the
Jewish Museum Berlin that Libeskind would open a firm
and begin bringing his theories into realised
architecture.
Professional Career
LIBESKIND BIOGRAPHY TIMELINE

1946 1960 1965 1970

1946 Born in Poland Studies music in New York on
a scholarship
Becomes a US citizen
Receives professional
architectural degree from the
Cooper Union for the
Advancement of Science and
Art

Leaves music to study

architecture

1965 Studies under Peter Eisenman.

Works as an apprentice to Richard Meier, and Dean John
Arrives in New York Richard Meier Hejduk

1959 1968 1970

LIBESKIND BIOGRAPHY TIMELINE 2003 Till Now

Upon his move to New York,

1972 1973-2009 1983 2001 Studio Libeskind quickly
Taught at various became involved with
universities. including: designing and realizing a
Cran brook Academy of CHAMBERWORKS Jewish Museum Berlin large number of commercial
Art, University of — opens with exhibitions3 centers, such as Westside in
Receives postgraduate
Illinois, Shibaura Institute Bern, the Crystals at City
degree in the history and
of Technology, Yale Center in Las Vegas, and Ko-
theory of architecture
University, Bogen in Düsseldorf, as well
from the School of
Kunsthochschule Berlin- as residential towers in
Corporative Studies at
Weillensee. University of Busan, Singapore, Warsaw,
Essex University
California Los Angeles, Toronto, Manila and Sao
University of Pennsylvania Paulo.

Receives job offer at New

York Institute for
Architecture and Urban
Studies under Peter
Eisenman ,quits Jewish Museum Berlin Studio Libeskind won
immediately Micromegas opens another historic
competition—to create a
master plan for the
1972 1999 rebuilding of the World
1979 Trade Center in Lower
Manhattan.

2003
SOME DECENT LIBESKIND PROJECTS TIMELINE;

2000–2006 2002–2007 2015

Michael Lee-Chin 2009
Extension to the Denver Vanke Pavilion
Art Museum Crystal
Libeskind Villa

Dutch Holocaust
Memorial of Names
Danish Jewish Museum
Grand Canal Theatre MILITARY HISTORY
MUSEUM 2021
2001–2003
2004–2010
2011
Furniture Design
• Apart from architectural works, Libeskind has
earned a lot of fame for his collaboration with
numerous international firms for product
designing, furniture, industrial fixtures and
interiors of buildings. Another field of Libeskind’s
competence is set designing. He has designed sets
for a number of theaters and operas. For some
peculiar operas he even opted for designing the
costumes as well. Libeskind is also very fond of
writing and has written a book called Fishing from
the Pavement and keeps writing free-verse prose.
What was the first object you were ever asked to design?
And how did you feel about doing that, having been so
deeply involved in architectural thinking?

• DL: This is the honest truth. People used to say, "Why don’t you
design products also," and I would say, "I am designing buildings, big
projects." Then one day a company asked me to design a door
handle, and I started laughing because it is the smallest object. But
I kept thinking about it and suddenly I had a revelation—why not? I
mean, it is something that is part of everyday life. So, I said, "Sure
I’ll design the door handle." And I did, and I thought that was it.
Then months later I was asked to design a door. And I had this other
revelation—first I had the door handle, then a door, then you have to
open the door. Then suddenly I realized what an incredible thing I
had come across, something that I had never thought about. And
that’s how I began designing all type of objects. Large or small, all
the things that have to do with design are things we have to use
everyday. From there grows the whole idea of the environment. I
was lucky to come across these opportunities. And like Frank Lloyd
Wright said, “To design a chair it is as difficult as to design a city.”
Sculpture and
installations
 19

LIBESKIND
PHILOSOPHY
Libeskind Tools
1. Symbolism
2. Sharp-edged facades and sharp-angled
3. projections dynamic equilibrium Searching
4. Placing columns at odd angles and forming
torsion
5. Change the visual image and create moving
buildings
6. Decentralization and decentralization Grid
design in all directions 3D.
7. Crossing Arcades in 3D
8. The walls are intertwined and are not
regular Denver Art Museum.
02 DECONSTRUCTIVISM
CONTEMPORARY STYLE
What is deconstructivist
architecture?
• Deconstructivism appeared in the early 1980s, but only
truly started to grow in the 1990s. This post-modern
architectural movement’s name stems from
“Deconstruction”, a form of literary analysis led by the
philosopher Jacques Derrida.

• Originally, the architects who designed deconstructivist

buildings refused to label their work as an architectural
style or movement. In their eyes, their approach simply
contradicted that of modern architecture and as such
broke away completely from history, society, places and
technological or technological traditions.

• The term “deconstructivism” however remained in

everyday language. It now refers to a general trend
amongst contemporary architecture.
The foundations of
deconstructivism
• The principle behind deconstructivism was to “invent the
impossible”. Set within the post-modern wave, it breaks
with the structural norms of classic buildings and deforms
or moves away from elementary architectural principles.

• By including non-linear design processed into the buildings

and favouring fragmentation, deconstructivism expresses a
form of controlled chaos. The buildings appear out-of-the-
ordinary, draw the eye in immediately and sometimes
create a feeling of strangeness.

• In deconstructivism, distorted shapes and structure are

not reserved to the building’s outer façade.
• Deconstructivist designs destabilise interior elements too,
favour minimalism and play on people’s perceptions by
injecting a futuristic touch.
What features stand out in
deconstructivist architecture?
Although the forerunners of deconstructivism refused to be classified
as an architectural movement, the buildings designed with this
approach in mind share a lot of similar features:
1. opposing rationalism to modernism;
2. fragmented volumes;
3. rejection of symmetry and Euclidian geometry;
4. lack of harmony, linearity and continuity;
5. use of straight or flat lines and irregular, disproportionate volumes
that have been shattered or shredded;
6. no right angles;
7. use of noble and relatively light materials;
8. ability to change the customary way in which we perceive space.
Deconstruction Process

Fragmentation Recombining

Basic Shape Transformation

 Rem Koolhaas
Zaha Hadid

Wolf D. Prix
Helmut Swiczinsky Daniel Libeskind
Bernard Tschumi Mark Wigley

DECONSTRUCTIVIST Architects
03 ONTARIO MUSEUM
Project Description
On June 12, 2007, the Royal Ontario
Museum opened the new extension
designed by Daniel Libeskind in
collaboration with Bregman + Hamann.
The project is called Michael Lee-Chin
Crystal, in honor of the Canadian
billionaire Michael Lee-Chin banker who
contributed $ 30 million to immortalize
his name as a patron of art.
PROJECT CONTEXT
• Located north of Queen’s Park in one
of the most important intersections in
the city of Toronto, Canada, the
museum becomes a dynamic center for
the city.
• Located at 100 Queen’s Park and
Bloor Street West, its main entrance is
located on Bloor Street.
Museum History

The Royal Ontario Museum is the

largest museum in Canada and
the fifth largest in North America.
It is a natural history museum
and culture. Designed by Frank
Darling and John A. Pearson,
construction of the historic
building was completed in 1914.
The original building was
composed of 5 distinct museums:
archaeology, paleontology,
mineralogy, zoology and geology.

1922 – Looking north at the Royal Ontario Museum,
present-day’s West Wing
WEST WING
The First Building
• What we know today as the ROM’s West
Wing was completed in 1914 at the cost of
$400,000. The three-storey, Romanesque
Revival-style structure is clad with stone
and buff brick with terracotta trim. The
museum’s main entrance was a round-
arched door facing Bloor St W. Three full-
height bay windows can be seen
from Philosopher’s Walk, a park that runs
alongside the original building.
The East Wing and
Centre Block
• In 1933, it was enlarged for the first time in a
new wing. Its façade is covered with a limestone
dotted with reliefs expressing, again once, the
1930s – The East Wing and Park Plaza Hotel, looking southwest from Queen’s Park just
natural and cultural function of the building. south of Bloor St W (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 3058)

• Constructed during The Great Depression, the

excavation was done by hand, using picks,
shovels, and horse-drawn wagons. In an effort to
use locally-sourced materials, Ontario marble was
utilized in various areas of the addition, including

EAST WING
in the floor, steps, pillars, and decorative panels
of the Rotunda. Noted Dutch-Canadian sculptor
William Oosterhoff created the stone carvings.
Final situation before
Libeskind Intervention
• In 1955, the 5 different museums united
to form a single one, while in 1978, it was
enlarged for a second time. It was then that
the Queen Elizabeth Terrace building is built
to accommodate new exhibitions.
• Thirty years after opening, the Terrace
Galleries were demolished to make way for
the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, part of the
Renaissance ROM project.
McLaughlin
Planetarium
1922 - West Wing

1955 - Queen Elizabeth Terrace

1930 - East Wing
 The monumentality of
the old building
The historical building was built with a
monumental and traditional look in
order to give importance to the basic
function of the building: conveying
knowledge. This monumentality resulted
from his style Renaissance, its massive
walls, its imposing rectangular shape, its
symmetry on the facade, its H plan, its
crowning, as well as than the size and
regularity of the rhythm of the windows.
However, with over the years, the vision
of monumentality has evolved.
 The monumentality of
the old building
• This is what Daniel Libeskind and the architectural
studio Bregman and Hamann of Toronto have tried to
express with the new wing of the building they
designed. The building is a representation of a bridge
between tradition and innovation. This monumentality
is then expressed thanks to the shape of the building
contrasting with the original building, with the
surrounding buildings and since it breaks the image of
conventional architecture: in this project there is now
all's, floors or ceilings. Form is a whole where each of
these element's blend into each other. For all these
reasons, the ROM is a signal element in the city of
Toronto favoring the revitalization of the sector
COMPETITION DETAIL

In 2001, the ROM expressed a

desire to once again expand and
change the image of the museum.
Therefore, it launches an
international competition
“Renaissance ROM” where more
than 52 architectural offices
participate(Mays, 2002).
Competition detail

Among these, Daniel Libeskind's

Crystal project stands out winner.
While the old building featured
reliefs depicting its exhibitions, the
Crystal of Libeskind by its form and
its materiality reflects still what it
contains, but in a whole new way.
To build the Crystal, it was
necessary to destroy the exhibition
area of the “Terrace Galleries”. The
current area of the museum is
36,000m2 while the Crystal
represents 25% of its total area.
YESSSSS WEDDING TIME
«This building tells a unique and a particular story
which crystallizes the ROM’s programmatic
content and the singularity of the site. The Crystal
transforms the character of ROM into an inspired
atmosphere dedicated to the resurgence of the
Museum as the dynamic center of Toronto.» -
Daniel Libeskind (Arcspace, 2009)
Architects: Studio Libeskind

Type: Museum

Location: Toronto, Canada

Client: Royal Ontario Museum

Project Year: 2007

Building Size: 182,000 sq.ft / 17,280 sqm

43
Architects: Studio Libeskind Construction Company: Vanbots Construction

Associate Architect: Toronto’s Bregman + Hamman Developer: Royal Ontario Museum

Architects

Landscape Architect: Quinn Design Associates Built in 2003-2007

Structural Engineer: Arup London, Halsall Height: 37m

Associates

Acoustic Engineer: Arup London, TMP Consulting Cost: $94.000.000 USD

Engineers, MBII, Valcoustics

Electrical Engineer: Arup , TMP Consulting Location: Toronto, Canada

Engineers, MBII
PROJECT Description
• Michael Lee-Chin Crystal is an extension to the Royal
Ontario Museum, sited north of Queen’s Park, one of
the most well-known crossings in downtown Toronto.
with its main entrance on Bloor Street West. With this
expansion in 2007, the museum is the largest in the
whole of Canada and the third-largest in North
America. The museum with its new 100000 square feet
of new exhibition space, a new lobby and entrance, a
street-level shop and three new restaurants, now
attracts more than a million visitors in a year. Studio
Daniel Libeskind also renovated ten galleries in the
existing historical building as part of this project
 PROJECT AWARDS
2009 – XVII Concorso Internazionale – “Sistema d’autore Metra”
2008 – Named one of Conde Nast Traveler’s “New Seven Wonders of the World”
2007 – Ontario Steel Design Awards – Canada Institute of Steel Construction
CONCEPT
• The crystalline
deconstructivist form The form
is composed of five volumes
that intersect and intertwine.
• The form is organic, the
volumes make an analogy to Crystal 1
the precious stone, to the Crystal 2
ROM's mineral collection.
Crystal 3
• The shapes of the crystals
are prismatic. The extension
does not include any right
angles.
Daniel Libeskind sketched out the initial concept on a napkin while attending a family wedding at the ROM.
 Goals:
Spectacular icon

• The extension is designed as a major

public attraction. The concept is to
create a large luminous gallery in the city.
The crystalline forms set the Mineralogy
Galleries Royal Ontario Museum in abyss.
CONCEPT
• The intersection of two crystals forms
a void, occupied by the House of Spirit,
a vast atrium.
• The fourth crystal includes the vertical
circulation: the Staircase of Miracles
while the fifth crystal contains the
restaurant.
• This prismatic shape wishes affirm a
spatial and participative choreography
of the public. Crystal 1
• The architecture of Daniel Libeskind
Crystal 2
has a very important sculptural aspect.
The exterior is made from 25%glass Crystal 3
and 75% extruded-brushed aluminum,
aluminum cladding strips are arranged
in a warm silver color.
• The Crystal walls do not touch the old
museum.
« Why should one expect the new addition to the ROM to
be ‘business as usual’? Architecture in our time is no
longer an introvert’s business. On the contrary, the
creation of communicative, stunning and unexpected
architecture signals a bold re-awakening of the civic life of
the museum and the city.» (Studio Daniel Libeskind, 2007)
 Spatial confusion

• Libeskind sends us a confused space, the

floor is the wall then becomes the roof. The
architectural elements are mixed.
 Floor

• The floor is unique and describes a

homogeneous space. Vertical circulations and
horizontal are designed to allow circulation and
flow that conveys balance and unity between
the old and the new.
 Function
The functionality of spaces is of little
interest to Libeskind.
 The atrium

• We have just noticed that the views are

allowed to us by the atrium. This also has the
role of separating the old and the new
building. It provides an almost perfect view of
ancient facades. In the atrium brings together
the two themes of the Museum: nature and
culture. They are distinguished by the
architecture, with the help of the volumes.
 Transparency-
translucency-opacity
• The use of glass and the five forms of crystal makes it
possible to bring alarge amount of light and the feeling
of transparency, indoor-outdoor reciprocity. The use of
75% aluminum contrasts with thevision of transparency
of the building. The work of light has a preponderant
role in the interior atmosphere of the museum, in fact,
during the designsystems have been researched to
achieve transitions between opacity, translucency and
transparency. The architect wanted to realize
thistransition using the intrinsic characteristics of the
material used.This intention has therefore guided the
choice of materials.
 Order of chaos

• Order from chaos is the laborious process of

building. The process takes place in 3D. The
convention of traditional designs is
unnecessary in this type of project. Libeskind
wants the project to free our minds. Space is
emotion, the imagination is solicited.
The link between the new
building and the existing
• The link between the 2 buildings is reinforced by
the contrast between them. In opposing their
visual identity, Libeskind makes them more
easily appreciable. The new building contrasts
with the old due to its irregular shape, its
asymmetry (shape and plan), its irregular
window rhythm and to its more contemporary
materiality. Inside the new building, views of the
old are offered and allow you to better
understand it. The walls of Cristal do not touch
those of the old museum, although the two
buildings are accessible between them thanks to
a few footbridges.
LOCATION
As mentioned earlier, the ROM is located at the heart of the
downtown Toronto and its main facade is located on the Bloor
Street. However, this has not always been the case. During
construction of the new Beaux-Arts style wing in 1933, the main
façade was moved to Queen’s Park Street (Mays, 2002). It
would be possible to say that at that time, the museum was
"turning its back" on the city. However, the construction of the
Libeskind crystal has made it possible to restore the historicity
of the location of the entrance and, at the same time, allow the
interaction of the museum with the urban scene from the city.
In other words, placed at one of the best-known intersections
from Toronto, its location brings dynamism to the heart of the
city. This place becomes a luminous icon. The museum then
becomes transparent and offers itself to the street as a
showcase that reflects international wealth to the public. The
museum presents itself to us as an apparition, a graft, a focus in
downtown Toronto. This location makes it possible to bring
closer old and new as well as tradition and innovation. The
constructions surrounding the innovative architecture enhance
the museum and its meaning. To quote Lisa Rochon in "Cristal-
lizing an image", the project is a definition of Jean Baudrillard
when he states, “by hypermarket of culture”.
Museum
Program
1. Half of the space in the
building is devoted to
exhibition spaces.
2. There are also 3 restaurants
and on the ground floor,
3. The entrance,
4. The lobby that extends over 3
floors,
5. And a shop directly linked to
the street.
 Building
Extension
Asian Heritage Asian Heritage Existing
building
Asian Gallery
Points of Entry
Vertical
Museum Shop
Circulation

ROM Atrium
LEARNING LABS History
Exhibit
LEVEL 1

Event Entrance Hall

CHILDREN
MUSEUM Toilets

Canadian Heritage Canadian Heritage

LEVEL 1

Atrium Gloria Chen Court

Stairs of Atrium
Wonder Spirit house
Entrance
 Building
Extension
Existing
Café MECHANICAL building
Points of Entry
Café

Preparation

Delivery
LEVEL -1

Storage
& MECHANICAL
EXISTING Facilities Hall
Preparation
Blockbuster Gallery

EXISTING THEATER
LEVEL -1
 Building
Extension
Nature Nature Existing
building
Connecting
points
Nature

Nature

Existing Facilities ATRIUM

LEVEL 2

CULTURE

Nature Nature
LEVEL 2
 Building
Extension
Culture Culture Existing
building
Connecting
points
Nature

Existing Facilities ATRIUM

culture
LEVEL 3

CULTURE

culture culture
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4
 RESTAURANT
LEVEL 5
LEVEL 5
 Building
Extension
Existing
building
SECTION
 Building
Extension
Existing
building
SECTION
ELEVATIONS
QUEN’S PARK ELEVATION
 Materials

• The skin of this Annex is made ​of glass 25% of its

surface and a unique aluminum sheets burnished
only manufactured in Germany (in the same factory
with working Gehry for the creation of its world
famous titanium sheets).
• The complex shape of the crystals had to develop new
construction techniques and train staff work for
proper placement.
The steel beams that form the skeleton of more than
3,500 tons each have different degrees and angle
positioning.
For construction were also necessary concrete
9,000m3.
Façade and
thermal envelope
• The Toronto climate is very extreme; the seasonal
temperature differential exceeds 50˚C. This puts
considerable strain on the thermal envelope, with the energy
demand driven by the façade performance. The Crystal’s
high levels of insulation and relatively small areas of glazing
give a thermally-efficient building with reduced thermal gains
and losses. This high-performance envelope helps to stabilise
the internal environment and thus preserve the museum
artifacts. Control of solar gain is essential to limit the installed
cooling capacity, reduce running costs, and maintain daylight
standards and comfort. Also, the exhibits on display must be
protected from direct sunlight and excessive heat gains.
Analysis of the site sun path and shading from the
surroundings allowed the team to map the glazed openings
and the amount of shading across the numerous Crystal
façades. A combination of glass performance, deep reveals,
slot windows, and internal shading was deployed to satisfy
this analysis.

80
04 INTERIORS
INTERIORS
 RESTAURANT

• A fifth crystal houses the restaurant, which

cantilevers over the existing West Wing
galleries and provides panoramic views of
downtown.
 Hyacinth Gloria Chen
Crystal Court
• The Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court is a
soaring atrium lobby located within the
Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. Large walls and a vast
interior space present it as a unique canvases
for installations or space to host special events.
• This space was named in honor of Michael
Lee-Chin’s mother in recognition of his
exceptional generosity.
 Spirit House
• Spirit House is a void created by
the intersection of two of these
crystals in the gallery space. The
Spirit House consists of a large
atrium rising from below ground
level to the fourth floor and is
broken up by bridges crossing it at
various levels. This space is mainly
intended to be a space of
reflection for the visitors and
providing a break from the
exhibitions.
 The stair of
Wonders
• A fourth crystal, known as the
Stair of Wonders, is dedicated to
vertical circulation but also
features exhibition vitrines at the
landings.
 The ROM shop.
Libeskind's chairs,
specially designed
for the Crystal.
The completed
Weston Gallery
at the lower
level.
Exhibits in the end walls of
the "Stair of Wonders"
 Sloped walls of
intersecting crystals
penetrate the space on
the top floor.
 Looking towards
the ceiling on the
top floor
The fourth-floor
gallery
The space in the
top floor of the
central crystal
 Sloping floors,
sloping walls or
sloping ceilings?
The curved exhibit wall
of the "History of
History" exhibit on the
top floor.
 A view out onto the roof over
the main atrium. The enclosures
you see house the skylights that
penetrate into the main atrium
space below.
A view from the
main atrium to
the brick wall of
the old building.
View to Bloor
Street
 Lighting

• The exhibition spaces are resurfacing daylight, leaving behind only the
illuminated points or the light system. Daylight offers natural, changing dynamics
and a better appreciation of artificial light colors, while supporting the
environment. Despite advances in technology, the human eye will still be able to
perceive the subtle qualities of a light source and daylight is impossible to
convincingly imitate. In general, you need to study and set up where the sun is
all day and all year round. In this case, the architect's special design and the
parameters used for the fenestration, define the crystalline geometry of the
building and the way in which natural light passes through the walls.
The galleries are lit by a combination of
natural light and track-mounted spots.

• The linear “strip and field” configuration

adopted for the fenestration defines the
crystalline geometry of the building as well
as how natural light enters the facades. It
was extrapolated and developed into
various forms of interior lighting scheme
throughout. The approach for all the
gallery suites was to provide an
architectural canvas of strong graphical
strip lines onto which track-mounted spots
can be added to suit the exhibit
configurations
 Structure

It is considered one of the most complex

and innovative structure of its
sophisticated North American
system. The building consists of five
prismatic structures interconnected and
self-contained steel beams coexisting,
but not structurally attached to the
building's original ROM rather than
bridges that unite.
• Libeskind's buildings are well
known for their unusual shapes,
and to challenge the team started
the competition at the same
time. They wanted a particular
structure, as the challenge was
driven by the desire to insert the
new form with the original
building and take advantage of
their existing facilities. In previous
Libeskind projects, including
Imperial War Museum North in
Manchester, England , engineer
Arup used a methodology based
on three-D programs like Rhino or
GSA. For the ROM competition,
this methodology made it
possible to create the basis of the
notion of structure.
Infrastructure:
• For the development of the new building was
demolished concrete building Queen Elizabeth II
Terrace, useless and for use by the museum, which
allows to recover the view of the public part of the old
facade. Its demolition resulted in reinforcing the
concrete basements, avoiding changes to the original
foundations and consolidating their bases. New pillars
were placed in the foundation and the structure was
designed with air intake and extraction trenches, to
adapt the space to the location of the main technical
services of the museum.
• The basement was intended for "guest exhibition",
with a new entrance. This is how you create a column
as free as possible, although the support of the mega-
top structure, passing through the place, lining and
angle walls with glass top, which connects the
groundwater architecture of surface.
Suprastructure
• The shape and complexity of the construction led to the
decision to use steel structures. The frames have been
adapted to the shape of the building and the best way to
harmonize the architecture with the superior glass cladding.
• Concrete and steel floor compounds complement the main
structure and act as horizontal membranes that help
stabilize and maintain the structural form.
• In this superstructure is a single vertical wall, the other
lateral forces acting generate complex shapes together with
the floors.
Distribution systems for building services have been
incorporated into a factory to allow structural flexibility for
use in showrooms. The exhibition base that rises from the
basement allows the exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, to
reach the same level as the visitors.
108
109
110
Previous structure
relationship
• The relationship of the new structure with the existing building
was crucial, particularly with regard to the earthquake-resistant
design. No lateral load should be transmitted to the sensitive
original masonry structure, which would need a total and costly
upgrade, therefore great care was taken in the placement and
positioning of the support bearings, when they were
unavoidable. The unusual form of construction required wind
tunnel testing to accurately determine the effects of the
applied force thereof, including drag, as well as any unforeseen
changes that would affect the old building.
• These tests were also used to assess the state of conservation of
the various departments of the original museum or the ability of
their roofs to remove snow or ice formation, which were poor,
necessitating the construction of a new drainage system.
 2- Ironworkers preparing the steel shelf angles and
1- Each joint is detailed using software that connectors to accept the steel floor framing at the
incorporates loading requirements. concrete elevator core.

3- The pieces are shipped to the site in

limited quantities to suit the erection
sequence as on-site staging area is quite
limited. This stair component will be lifted
into the crystal that rings the concrete core.

5- Large truss elements comprised of HSS

4- Closer view of the steel crystal that members ring this crystal which holds the central
surrounds the concrete core. 112
stair elements.
 Room control

The heating and cooling needs are based on local external data, which
corresponds to a 99% ratio: -17.8 º winter statistics, 32 º -24 º summer.
• The internal criterion was as follows: the lower galleries, "blockbuster" and
level 4 in the new buildings of 21 degrees in summer and winter, with a
variation of 2°.
• The interior of glass galleries on levels 2 and 3: 24 degrees in summer and 20
degrees in winter, with a variation of 2°.
• The existing construction galleries: 24 degrees in summer and 20 degrees in
winter, with a variation of 2°.
 Fire protection

• The entire building is sprinklered and new galleries have a smoke

extraction system for fans incorporated into areas of thick glass
walls to remove smoke based on a fire signal.
Stormwater
design
• The design of the roof drainage system presented many
challenges, with ice and snow build-up even more important than
water. The complex shape also presented many obstructions to the
natural flow of rain and melt water.

• Each Crystal surface and intersecting valley was analysed for

gradient and used as the primary water drainage route. Then the
edge conditions were checked for gravity-based water runoff to
identify whether it would travel inwards to a gutter or outwards off
the edge. If the latter, a hidden edge gutter was fitted.

• Finally, the windows were analysed for runoff redirection and to

check that there was adequate capacity for water to go around
them. If there was not, the window was bisected, and a rainwater
channel formed between.

• This process generated a very simple rainwater system, albeit

with a very complex geometry. The main valley gutters also formed
the primary access route for maintenance. Snow build-up was
analysed in wind tunnel tests, and where it was shown to be
excessive, snow melting tapes were installed. To avoid undue energy
waste, these were only fitted where absolutely necessary to control
structural loads and not just to clear the roof.

115
04 CRITICS
 Architect’s failure

• The building appears to dominate the

historic existing building. It appears that Daniel
Libeskind forced his modern architecture onto
the traditional brick building of the original
museum, doing nothing to create a more
graceful transition from one form to another.
He failed at not giving much attention and
consideration to the existing structure.
The ROM Crystal in Toronto may be the most hated building in Canada. It’s been 10
years since the design – famously scrawled on the back of a napkin by star
architect Daniel Libeskind – became a part of Toronto’s streets. The addition is all
angles, its glass and aluminum seem to jut out of the ground in a display of raw
power. It’s a stark contrast to the stately ROM that had stood since 1914.
Philip Kennicott:
Art and
architecture critic
• The most pointed critique came
in the final days of 2009, courtesy
of Philip Kennicott, art and
architecture critic (and future
Pulitzer Prize winner) at The
Washington Post. “Sure, there
were a lot of Wal-Marts thrown up
in the Aughts, but Daniel
Libeskind’s addition to the Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto
surpasses the ugliness of bland
functional buildings by being both
ugly and useless,”
Christopher
Hume
Architecture critic
• Not all comments, however, were negative. In
the Toronto Star, architecture and urban affairs writer
Christopher Hume was one of the Crystal’s few early
defenders. “As much as the new ROM may be about
spectacle, especially architectural spectacle, there’s
nothing flashy or crass about it,” he wrote.
• Today, Hume stands by his positive assessment.
“[The Crystal] seemed to express a desire to bring not
just the museum, not just the corner of Bloor and
Avenue Road, but the whole city, into the 21st
century without diminishing the past,” he says.
• Hume does, however, agree with some of the
criticism – namely, how the interior space can be
unwieldy and is hated by the museum’s curators. “It
gives them more space, but a lot of that space comes
in the form of slanting walls and spaces they can’t
use,” he says.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.mobilemaplets.com/showplace/9686
2. http://www.toronto-travel-guide.com/royal-ontario-museum.html#.YoeTTqhBy3A
3. http://acdn.architizer.com/thumbnails-
PRODUCTION/f0/74/f074038735548c4c0c08b3144e04364e.jpg
4. https://www.canadianarchitect.com/crystallizing-an-image/1000115931-1000257085/
5. http://www.arch2o.com/royal-ontario-museum-studio-daniel-libeskind/
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pWov-9PMNQ&t=450s
7. http://hotcore.info/babki/royal-ontario-museum-plans-and-sections.html
8. https://www.arc.ulaval.ca/files/arc/Daniel-Libeskind_ROM.compressed.pdf
9. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a2177-royal-ontario-museum-by-daniel-
libeskind-the-modern-crystal/
10. https://libeskind.com/work/royal-ontario-museum/
REFERENCES
1. https://fr.wikiarquitectura.com/b%C3%A2timent/michael-lee-chin-crystal/
2. https://bharchitects.com/en/project/rom-crystal/
3. http://www.epab.bme.hu/oktatas/2009-2010-2/v-CA-B-
Ms/FreeForm/Examples/OntarioMuseum.pdf
4. https://www.canadianarchitect.com/steel-structure-completed-for-the-rom-s-
michael-lee-chin-crystal/
5. https://www.waltersgroupinc.com/project/rom/
6. https://constructionandinfrastructure.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/the-michael-lee-
chin-crystal-building-royal-ontario-museum-toronto-ontario-
canada/#:~:text=The%20controversial%20Michael%20Lee%2DChin,top%20of%20a%2
0steel%20frame.
7. https://architizer.com/projects/royal-ontario-museum/
8. https://www.waltersgroupinc.com/project/rom/