THE ROM: 10 YEARS LATER

The academic: Richard Sommer, dean of the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto: “Among (Libeskind’s) projects, that would not be one I’m a huge fan of. I understand the power of a large sculptural gesture in a city. But I think the conception of a museum as a Crystal is a misfit, because a museum is primarily a series of interior chambers and experiences. The display of artifacts cannot occur in a giant glass building. The Crystal Palace was for plants. So I think there’s a misfit between the ambitions of the project and the function it’s ultimately had to serve. But I think the ambition to make something bold that broke away from the typical architecture in Toronto was laudable.” The architect: Studio Daniel Libeskind principal/CEO Carla Swickerath: “Architecture is a public art. We always listen with great interest when people are passionately talking about architecture — it is not always the case. The success of a design is not judged by the opinion of the day; architecture is always being designed for the future. We judge the success of a project on how it communicates its mission, on how well it answers the aspiration and vision of the client, and how well it meets their functional needs. The ROM is Canada’s most visited museum and as an institution it is tremendously successful, but for us we measure the success of a project on how people respond to and use it, particularly how children interact with the building.” The museum: Josh Basseches, ROM director and CEO “There’s always a ‘wow’ factor. Whether you love the building or hate it, people respond to it. It’s a dynamic piece of architecture that captures people’s attention. If you were to Google anything like iconic Toronto architecture or most beautiful museums in the world, many of the articles would highlight the ROM. In fact, I think in many ways it was because of the Crystal and what it conveyed to me about the museum and what the museum’s leadership wanted to do that I ended up coming to the ROM (in 2016). Myself, I’m a big fan of the Crystal.” Facts and figures

The Crystal’s exterior is 25 per cent glass and 75 per cent aluminum-cladding strips.

Each steel beam, ranging from one to 25 metres, was lifted one by one to its specific angle.

3,200 tonnes of steel and 34 tonnes of bolts were used to create the skeleton.

The ROM’s kickoff party was headlined by a 75-minute concert featuring K’naan, Deborah Cox, Jann Arden and David Foster.

986,171 visitors came through the ROM in its 2007-08 fiscal year.

Renaissance ROM allowed the ROM to double the number of artifacts and specimens on public display.

The renovation provided more than 300,000 square feet, or 26 new and renovated galleries and public spaces (an increase of 25 per cent).

Daniel Libeskind famously sketched the museum’s facade on a napkin at a friend’s wedding.