KLEINBURG, ONT. – Toronto-based firm Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) has been selected to lead the McMichael Canadian Art Collection redevelopment project.
Home to one of the world’s foremost collections of Canadian and Indigenous art, the renewal will remake the McMichael into a “world-class museum for the 21st century — a beacon of accessibility, environmental sustainability and artistic excellence,” states a release.
It’s the first major revitalization of the site in more than 40 years and is being supported with a $50 million commitment from the Government of Ontario and $25 million in funding from the federal government.
It is located in the Humber River Valley and features a modernist timber-and-stone architecture with low rooflines.
The redevelopment will include:
- More space dedicated to exhibitions, education, conservation and public programming;
- classrooms and studios to nurture the next generation of Canadian artists;
- purpose-built spaces for events, concerts, lectures conferences and banqueting, including a new indoor theatre; and
- it is being built to CAGBC Zero Carbon Design Standards.
Originally built in the 1950s as the private home of founders Robert and Signe McMichael, the site has grown into a national institution, featuring more than 7,000 artworks by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, Indigenous artists and artists from the many diasporic communities that make up Canada.
“We have fallen in love with the vision set before us by the McMichael, as home to the art of Canada. The big, sturdy roof automatically says ‘home,’ but it also says longhouse, or cabin in the woods. From the approach, the roof hugs the ground making it welcoming, intimate, warm and inviting. But as you enter, the experience explodes, engaging the extraordinary setting in a number of surprising moments with a rare and uniquely Canadian combination of nature and art,” Siamak Hariri, founding partner, HPA in a statement.
McMichael Canadian Art Collection Facility and Grounds Expansion
Expansion to increase capacity for its existing programs, meetings and special events and ensuring it remains a safe and must-visit destination for arts and culture for years to come. Renovations & repairs to existing spaces.
Project Value (CAD): $50,000,000
Building Use: Museum
Sector: Public – State/Provincial
Project Type: Addition
Location: 10365 Islington Ave, Kleinurg, ON
Project Stage: Conceptual
10365 Islington Ave, Kleinurg, ON
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