Renovation of a museum in Toronto, Ontario. Completed plans call for the renovation of a 6,000-square-foot, two-story above grade museum.

Revitalization of the Royal Ontario Museum, including a newly designed Bloor Street entrance, sheltered by an expansive canopy and featuring a floor-to-ceiling glass entryway with direct sightlines into and out of the building. A showcase water feature that will wrap around the heritage façade and evolve with the seasons, transforming from burbling water in the summer to cracked ice in the winter. The scope includes reimagining of 86,000 square feet on the main floor, and a new four storey atrium and forum. These spaces will be accessible by the public free of charge, where audiences can enjoy regular performances, programs, and hands-on experiences. An additional 6,000 square feet of new gallery space is also planned on the museum second and third levels. The Hennick Commons, a new four-storey sunlit atrium topped with a high-performance diagrid glass ceiling and featuring a 2,400 square foot forum, where visitors can gather and enjoy performances and programming ranging from live music to hands-on learning. A stunning multi-level lily pad staircase adjacent to the forum, which will offer three accessible overlook platforms, knitting together old and new wings to improve movement throughout the building. Adjacent to the forum, the architectural centrepiece of OpenROM is a three-level lily pad connector of ramps and stairs that will offer whimsical wayfinding and accessible overlook platforms for surveying the museum. This structure knits together old and new wings of the building to improve mobility and provide opportunities for programming. Openings in both the heritage and Crystal facades will introduce dialogue between gallery spaces across Hennick Commons. The new limestone and wood floor will be levelled, adding program versatility and seating to enhance the visitor experience in this free public space. TIMELINE: February 2024 the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) announced the launch of OpenROM, a multi-year renovation catalyzed by a $50-million donation from the Hennick Family Foundation. Design is complete. Contact for the full consulting team is not available. Construction began February 2024, completion is anticipated early 2026.