The design for an expansion of Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has been unveiled by a Canadian and US design team made up of Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architect.
The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery will add 40,000 sq m of space by creating 13 galleries across five floors. These will be column-free, and can be used as open areas, or divided into intimate showcases.
The project will expand the museum to the east, sitting a floor above the existing loading dock. When complete, it will have all-electric mechanical plant that will create no carbon emissions.
In all, the AGO has been expanded seven times since it was founded in 1900.
The project is being funded by a $35m donation from Dani Reiss, the president of outerwear company Canada Goose.
Stephan Jost, the AGO’s chief executive, said: “The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery is more than an expansion project – it’s how we fulfil our mission to bring people together with art, propel global conversations that speak to the issues of our time, and reflect the diversity of Toronto, Ontario and Canada.”
The design is currently undergoing a municipal and public review process.
