The Vancouver Art Gallery unveils new details about the upcoming new building by Herzog & De Meuron
A new exhibition in the lobby of the Vancouver Art Gallery showcases the final design for the proposed building
Following the initial design presented to public back in 2015, Herzog & De Meuron and the Vancouver Art Gallery have been busy gathering feedback. Since then they have been refining the proposal for the new art gallery and working on a plan to see it come to life for an expected opening date in 2024.
Located in Larnwill Park, at the intersection of West Georgia, Dunsmuir, and Beatty, the building will have 86,000 square feet of exhibition space. The new art gallery will be doubling the exhibition space from the current building, with an overall size of 300,000 square feet. This energy efficient building deigned by one of the most renowned architects in the world, Herzong & De Meuron, is set to be a state-of-the-art facility. It will bring pride to the city and become a referent in the field. So, what is new in this updated proposal?
So, what is new in this updated proposal?
The main architecture has remains unchanged. The main design is a proposal of a succession of stacked boxes of different sizes and an inner buried courtyard with a lush forest.
The two underground levels organized around an open courtyard deal with the sloped topography of the site. They accommodate the more public parts and programs of the of the gallery. Spaces like the lobby, classrooms, the art rental shop, and a succession of free galleries will populate these floors. One of the most exciting features is the experience of entering the gallery by going one floor underground. An open courtyard with lots of green space will receive the visitors and set them in the mood of quietness and calm to experience the art. A similar and successful experience of entering an art gallery can be found in the Caixa Forum building in Barcelona designed by Arata Isozaky back in 2002.
From there, an escalator spanning the height of 3 floors takes the visitors to the flying boxes over the courtyard. The second floor will feature, for the first time, a theater in the art gallery. The theater, which will be able to host different events for about 350 seated people, expands the range of services of the gallery. From there, another escalator will take us to the forth floor where the permanent exhibition starts up to until the sixth floor. The third floor will hold the administration offices.
Going up, the seventh floor will feature a full restaurant with exciting views of the city with the mountains in the background, one of the most iconic and proud postcards views of Vancouver. The restaurant will be the perfect space to relax, either in the indoor or the outdoor seating area after the visit.
Finally, the eighth and the ninth floors are planned as a future expansion space of the gallery with programs that have not been defined yet.
The facade of the building holds the biggest change of the proposal
The facade of the building holds the biggest change of the proposal. The architects explained, in their initial proposal back in 2015, that they took inspiration of the buildings that the first city settlers built. They proposed a wood slats facade as a metaphor to link the past and the present. However, the wooden facade was one of the most commented and discussed features of the gallery. Many professionals and citizens had concerns due to the maintenance that it would require.
Herzon & De Meuron are famously renown for their ability to come with innovative and unexplored solutions for the treatment of the facade of their buildings. They have revisited the wooden facade and have greatly surprised us again. They have stayed true to the will of connecting the past and the present of the city while providing a solution that solves the concerns of the public.
This time, taking inspiration on the barges that transported wood logs along the Fraser river, they proposed a facade made of glass cylinders. The facade will have a lower maintenance and at the same time it will provide a diffuse lighting to the interior of the gallery spaces.
As important as good design, a solid funding plan is essential for a successful completion of the project. The overall funding campaign has a targeted goal of $330 million plus $50 million in endowment to support operations.
As of today, a total of $135 million have been raised from private and public sources. A request for a $100 million in funding has been submitted to the Federal Government’s Infrastructure program. The fundraising campaign is still open and the gallery is accepting donations. At the same time, they encourage people to to contact their local MLA and MP to show support because the initiative is also a great benefit for the community.
In the end, a project of this endeavor is not just about having an iconic building. It adds value to the city and the community at the same time. It improves the cityscape, attracts tourism, and gives wider leisure choices to city residents. It will give the tools for the Vancouver Art Gallery to support local artists and bring kids closer to art through different programs.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
