The Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Inuit Art Centre has broken ground in Winnipeg Manitoba. Designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture in collaboration with Cibinel Architecture, the 40,000-square-foot scheme is set to become the largest gallery space in the world devoted to Inuit art, culture, and history.
Arranged over four stories, the scheme is an addition to the 1971 museum designed by Gustavo Da Roza, and seeks to form a new cultural landmark for downtown Winnipeg.
The scheme centers on a transparent, double-height Inuit Vault, with curved glass walls reaching from floor to ceiling with shelving to follow the curvature of the enclosure. The vault will also contain a stairwell to additional collections storage at the level below.
A light-filled, 8,500 square foot Inuit Gallery on the third level is dedicated to the display of Inuit art. Reflecting the natural environments where the art was created. the monumental, sculptural walls evoke the “immense, geographical features that form the background of many Inuit towns and inlets.”
The new building will also contain a state-of-the-art conservation facility, art studios, an interactive theatre, classrooms, reading room, and a new café. At all levels, the building will be linked to the original 1971 museum by walkways.
The $65 million project is due to open in 2020.
News via: Michael Maltzan Architecture
