|
|
National Gallery of Canada
Location: Sussex Drive
Architect: Moshe Safdie, constructed: 1986 to 1988 /supporters.asp?id=2768
The National Gallery of Canada is a striking landmark against the Capital's skyline, this treasure house in granite and glass is the home of Canada's exceptional art collection. Light, spacious galleries and quiet courtyards lead you on a voyage of discovery through the Canadian collection, a reflection of the rich diversity of Canada's heritage and culture.
"Safdie's design was won in limited competition in 1983 and developed in conjunction with Parkin, who had themselves won an earlier competition for a National Gallery in 1976. The building's basic L-shaped plan has along its entrance side an added glass and concrete ramped colonnade. It joins ceremoniously the partly enclosed entrance pavilion to the main focal point of the whole development, the Great Hall.
The Great Hall's soaring glass ceiling and walls echo the contours of the Library of Parliament, just to the southwest. From this enormous, multi-level crystal pavilion, 'streets' radiate out from a symmetrical plant to the various public galleries, each of which has an identifiable entrance. The galleries have a nice feeling of unity, are generally well-lit and have an enviable spaciousness about them compared with some more recently designed European galleries.
Electronically-controlled blinds and diffusing lenses protect the art from too much sunlight. The lower galleries are partly lit by daylight through an ingenious system of skylights and mirrored light shafts.
At the heart of the Canadian Galleries lies a unique treasure -- the reconstructed 19th century Rideau Street Chapel. The Rideau Street Convent was a girls' school which opened in Ottawa in 1845. The convent was demolished in 1972. But, in response to concerns expressed by citizens and a group known as A Capital for Canadians (now Heritage Canada), its chapel was saved. More than one thousand pieces were put in storage and painstakingly restored and reassembled in time for the opening of the National Gallery's permanent home in May 1988.
For a complete on-line description, go to: http://www.geocities.com/big_buildings4/ngoc.html
|
