Canada’s only museum devoted entirely to ceramics, the Gardiner Museum reopened in June 2006 after a 30-month renovation and expansion. Located in Toronto, just south of the city’s high-end retail district, the museum’s original 1984 building proved deficient in various respects. Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB), whose Young Centre for the Performing Arts is a winner in this year’s awards, designed a 14,000-square-foot addition and worked with the museum to make a facility capable of supporting the institution’s anticipated growth.
Set back from the street to protect sight lines of neighboring historic buildings, the former Gardiner Museum suffered from limited visibility. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the new facade, however, make the building more inviting. The large glass walls frame and reflect nearby Neoclassical buildings, juxtaposing them with the Gardiner’s polished buff limestone surfaces, creating a dynamic visual experience. KPMB also designed a series of terraced platforms that use landscaping to bring the museum to the street.
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