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The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition to the Royal Ontario Museum began as a sketch on a paper napkin at a wedding. Berlin-based Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind’s design has met with equal parts criticism and praise from the public for its daring juxtaposition of glass and steel against the original historical brick structure. Of the building, Libeskind said “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.
THE AKRON ART MUSEUM
A soaring glass and steel structure is strikingly juxtaposed with a late nineteenth-century brick and limestone building at the Akron Art Museum. The 2007 addition, by Viennese architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, modernizes the museum with cantilevered, suspended and floating forms including the “Crystal”, a three-story glass and steel lobby, the “Gallery Box”, an exhibition space that seems to float on air and the “Roof Cloud”, a cantilevered steel armature that extends over both the old and new buildings.
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO
It’s often said that the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao started the trend of making the building that houses art just as important as the art itself. Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, it is considered among the most groundbreaking examples of architecture to have come out of the 20th century and serves as a landmark for the city of Bilbao, Spain. The design is both fluid and geometric, with its reflective titanium-clad walls sparkling in the sun. It has been credited for “putting Bilbao on the map” and admirers have even called it “the greatest building of our time”.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ART,OSAKA
Osaka’s National Museum of Art resembles a giant metal insect, crouched on the ground with its wings extending into the air. Constructed of titanium-coated steel tubes, the outer shell of the building serves as an eye-catching sculptural form that belies the museum’s contents. Because of the constraints of the site, the building had to be mostly underground, so the steel frame and glass skylights are all that is visible from street level. Architects Cesar Pelli & Associates managed to infuse a sense of light airiness into the structure despite its subterranean design.
MUSEUM OF MIDDLE EAST MODERN ART IN DUBAI
Though it has not yet been built, the planned Museum of Middle East Modern Art in Dubai definitely has people talking. The design, by Dutch architects UNStudio, exemplifies the uber-futuristic look preferred in this arid Middle Eastern city. Naturally, opinions vary, with some lauding its fluidity while others say it looks like a giant air conditioning unit.
WEISMAN ART MUSEUM,MINNEAPOLIS
The Weisman Art Museum is another celebrated achievement of architect Frank Gehry, featuring his unmistakable titanium-clad curves. Overlooking the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, the Weisman Art Museum is among the American Midwest’s most well-known buildings. The side that faces the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is brick to blend in with the rest of the buildings, but the opposite side is a glittering abstraction of a waterfall and a fish.
THE USS MIDWAY MUSEUM
Unusual as museums go, the USS Midway Museum is a storied naval aircraft carrier that gives the public a look at what life was like for the officers who lived and worked aboard the vessel. Docked in downtown San Diego, the USS Midway stands in sharp contrast to the carefully designed, artistic modern and postmodern museum architecture featured here. It’s certainly an example of the enclosure being every bit as important as what’s contained inside.
THE DENVER ART MUSEUM FREDERIC C.HAMILTON BUILDING,DENVER
Described as “a vision of craggy cliffs”, the Frederic C. Hamilton extension of the Denver Art Museum was created by architect Daniel Libeskind to be an architectural landmark for the city of Denver. The design reflects the nearby Rock Mountain peaks and consists of large geometric shapes clad in titanium. The dramatic expansion, which houses the Modern and Contemporary art collection as well as the collection of Architecture and Design, doubles the size of the museum and now serves as its entrance.
BURKE BRISE SOLEIL,MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
The Burke Brise Soleil is a bird-like addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum, designed by Santiago Calatrava. It’s a moveable, wing-like sunscreen perched atop the museum’s vaulted Windhover Hall. It has a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747-400 – spreading 217 feet at its widest point - but to prevent damage to the building, two ultrasonic wind sensors automatically close the wings if the wind reaches 23 miles per hour or higher. It controls both temperature and light in the structure.
A soaring glass and steel structure is strikingly juxtaposed with a late nineteenth-century brick and limestone building at the Akron Art Museum. The 2007 addition, by Viennese architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, modernizes the museum with cantilevered, suspended and floating forms including the “Crystal”, a three-story glass and steel lobby, the “Gallery Box”, an exhibition space that seems to float on air and the “Roof Cloud”, a cantilevered steel armature that extends over both the old and new buildings.
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO
It’s often said that the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao started the trend of making the building that houses art just as important as the art itself. Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, it is considered among the most groundbreaking examples of architecture to have come out of the 20th century and serves as a landmark for the city of Bilbao, Spain. The design is both fluid and geometric, with its reflective titanium-clad walls sparkling in the sun. It has been credited for “putting Bilbao on the map” and admirers have even called it “the greatest building of our time”.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ART,OSAKA
Osaka’s National Museum of Art resembles a giant metal insect, crouched on the ground with its wings extending into the air. Constructed of titanium-coated steel tubes, the outer shell of the building serves as an eye-catching sculptural form that belies the museum’s contents. Because of the constraints of the site, the building had to be mostly underground, so the steel frame and glass skylights are all that is visible from street level. Architects Cesar Pelli & Associates managed to infuse a sense of light airiness into the structure despite its subterranean design.
MUSEUM OF MIDDLE EAST MODERN ART IN DUBAI
Though it has not yet been built, the planned Museum of Middle East Modern Art in Dubai definitely has people talking. The design, by Dutch architects UNStudio, exemplifies the uber-futuristic look preferred in this arid Middle Eastern city. Naturally, opinions vary, with some lauding its fluidity while others say it looks like a giant air conditioning unit.
WEISMAN ART MUSEUM,MINNEAPOLIS
The Weisman Art Museum is another celebrated achievement of architect Frank Gehry, featuring his unmistakable titanium-clad curves. Overlooking the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, the Weisman Art Museum is among the American Midwest’s most well-known buildings. The side that faces the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is brick to blend in with the rest of the buildings, but the opposite side is a glittering abstraction of a waterfall and a fish.
THE USS MIDWAY MUSEUM
Unusual as museums go, the USS Midway Museum is a storied naval aircraft carrier that gives the public a look at what life was like for the officers who lived and worked aboard the vessel. Docked in downtown San Diego, the USS Midway stands in sharp contrast to the carefully designed, artistic modern and postmodern museum architecture featured here. It’s certainly an example of the enclosure being every bit as important as what’s contained inside.
THE DENVER ART MUSEUM FREDERIC C.HAMILTON BUILDING,DENVER
Described as “a vision of craggy cliffs”, the Frederic C. Hamilton extension of the Denver Art Museum was created by architect Daniel Libeskind to be an architectural landmark for the city of Denver. The design reflects the nearby Rock Mountain peaks and consists of large geometric shapes clad in titanium. The dramatic expansion, which houses the Modern and Contemporary art collection as well as the collection of Architecture and Design, doubles the size of the museum and now serves as its entrance.
BURKE BRISE SOLEIL,MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
The Burke Brise Soleil is a bird-like addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum, designed by Santiago Calatrava. It’s a moveable, wing-like sunscreen perched atop the museum’s vaulted Windhover Hall. It has a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747-400 – spreading 217 feet at its widest point - but to prevent damage to the building, two ultrasonic wind sensors automatically close the wings if the wind reaches 23 miles per hour or higher. It controls both temperature and light in the structure.
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