A remarkable building. It must be interesting to see it, especially the windows, from the inside.
Posted by Steffen at May 18, 2007 03:55 AMVery dramatic. Those lines are very good.
Posted by Flower photo qt at May 18, 2007 06:15 AMThe Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition to the ROM is actually designed by Daniel Libeskind. Michasel Lee-Chin is the lead donor.
Posted by Ian at May 18, 2007 07:11 AMHi Sam,
Great shot. I was in Toronto last week. Things are changing rapidly on this site.
I believe Michael Lee-Chin to have donated large sums of money to this project, hence the name. But I think the architect is Daniel Libeskind.
www.daniel-libeskind.com/
Have a great weekend.
Posted by Jen at May 18, 2007 07:13 AMHi Sam,
Great shot. I was in Toronto last week. Things are changing rapidly on this site.
I believe Michael Lee-Chin to have donated large sums of money to this project, hence the name. But I think the architect is Daniel Libeskind.
www.daniel-libeskind.com/
Have a great weekend.
Posted by Jen at May 18, 2007 07:13 AMThe Crystal wasn't designed by Michael Lee-Chin, it was designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, famous for the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Imperial War Museum in Manchester. Michael Lee-Chin simply ponied up $30 million to help pay for it.
Michael Lee Chin didn't design the addition... he's an investor, and donated money to the ROM for the addtion. The Architect who designed it is Daniel Libeskind.
Posted by Peter in Toronto at May 18, 2007 07:43 AM太棒了,好像空间站一样。
Posted by 西皮士 at May 18, 2007 08:33 AMDesigned by world famous Daniel Liebeskind. Michael Lee-Chin is not an architect, but a chairman of a mutual fund firm, who donated $30 mil for the construction.
Posted by Marek at May 18, 2007 08:36 AMDesigned by Daniel Liebeskind. Funded in part by $30mln donated by Michael Lee-Chin, who is the chairman of a mutual funds company.
Always a great photo though.
It was not designed by Michael Lee-Chin, he just paid for it.
Posted by Martin at May 18, 2007 08:55 AMActually, the ROM "crystal" is designed by wunderkind architect Daniel Libeskind. Michael Lee-Chin is a financier and philanthropist who contributed to the ROM's fundraising campaign.
Posted by Barry Ditto at May 18, 2007 09:02 AMActually, the ROM "crystal" is designed by wunderkind architect Daniel Libeskind. Michael Lee-Chin is a financier and philanthropist who contributed to the ROM's fundraising campaign.
Posted by Barry Ditto at May 18, 2007 09:02 AMSam - love your work and your photo blog.
Michael Lee-Chin is a rich guy who threw in some money for the ROM reno, not the guy who designed it.
Posted by Ryan at May 18, 2007 09:16 AMActually, it was designed by Daniel Libeskind, and it's named after Michael Lee-Chin who is the principal donor to the project.
Posted by Terry at May 18, 2007 09:19 AMcan't wait to go see the inside. i think Michael Lee-Chin is the donor not the designer.
Eddie
Posted by Eddie at May 18, 2007 09:23 AMHey Sam, Great photo, but the designer is Daniel Libeskind.
Michael Lee-Chin donated a tonne of money to put his name on the thing.
Posted by Michael at May 18, 2007 09:23 AMNice shot. I believe the crystal is named after Michael Lee-Chin because of his generous donation for these renovations. The architect behind the crystal is actually Daniel Libeskind.
Posted by marie. at May 18, 2007 09:31 AMI think you'll find that Michael Lee-Chin is the well-heeled financier who put up $30 million to get his name on the crystal. The designer is the superstar architect Daniel Liebeskind. This is spelled out correctly in the ROM link.
Posted by Ron at May 18, 2007 09:37 AMInteresting Composition.
Posted by Keith at May 18, 2007 09:45 AMActually it's Daniel Libeskind that designed it. Michael Lee-Chin is the lead donor.
Posted by Andreas Georghiou at May 18, 2007 09:53 AMMichael Lee-Chin put up the considerable amount of cash for the addition; the architect is Daniel Libeskind. Every time I go by it I wish more that it wasn't happening.........I wish they had left the beautiful old ROM building to live in its own original, stately beauty, and matched the addition to it. I would love to see the Libeskind crystal as it's own entity - being remarkable and interesting by itself. Sighhhhhhh.......
However, your photograph is certainly interesting, Sam! Sky and crazy pyramids.
Posted by Kathy at May 18, 2007 09:56 AMJust to be accurate, the crystal was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. It's similar to what he did at the Denver Art Museum. Michael Lee-Chin is the lead donor, after whom it's named.
Posted by joe at May 18, 2007 09:58 AMnow i know who to blame for this atrocious design!
Posted by sikander at May 18, 2007 10:06 AMDesigned by Halsall Associates. Architect was Lee-Chin.
Posted by Sarah at May 18, 2007 10:11 AMCool. I plan to visit the ROM this summer. Do you know what it'll house?
Posted by gary at May 18, 2007 10:29 AMThe sky is a totally weird color, but interesting.
The building (what can be seen) is just totally weird - color or no. I'm not sure I'm impressed but will hold judgement to see it all - finished.
The photo is expertly done as usual.
Posted by Hugh Petrie at May 18, 2007 10:29 AMI was wondering when you were going to post pictures of this amazing new building. I saw some of your photos on the ROM web page located here:
http://www.rom.on.ca/crystal/celebrate.php
Your photos really capture the spirit of the building. It really makes a bold statement on Bloor Street. Can't wait for the opening on June 2, 2007!
Just a correction - the Crystal was designed by Daniel Libeskind (http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/). The name of the new addition is "Michael Lee-Chin Crystal".
Posted by PC at May 18, 2007 10:42 AMGreat photo, Sam.
Just a small correction, for the record. The new addition to the Royal Ontario Museum is called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, in honour of the project's lead donor. The architect is Studio Daniel Libeskind, in a joint venture with Bregman + Hamann Architects of Toronto.
all the best, Francisco
Great picture. However, I'm sorry to any fans out there, but in my mind this addition turned out to be ugly instead of beautiful. I thought it was supposed to be a glass crytal - now it looks like cheap aluminum siding, that I'm sure will look gorgeous after 10 years of bloor street pollution coats it. When I walk down bloor I used to look into a park through the fence with ancient chinese statues and flowers/grass. Now I'll be shadowed by this thing, which looks like the result of what would happen if you fused several portable homes together in a bolt of lightning. Ok I'm done.
Posted by Jeff at May 18, 2007 10:53 AMI hate to be picking nits about one of your fine photographs, but Michael A. Lee-Chin is not the designer of this, this... [words fail me]... thing. Mr. Lee-Chin is the sponsor whose money allowed this design by architect Daniel Libeskind to be perpetrated, er, I mean, built. (There. Have I sucessfully disguised my opinions?)
Posted by Greg at May 18, 2007 11:10 AMAlthough named the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, I believe it was designed by Daniel Libeskind.
Posted by Steve at May 18, 2007 11:30 AMHi Sam, love the work. Upto your usual standards, good to see the building is almost complete having visted TO in the last 2 summers! I noticed a small erro in your comment, The ROM's Crystal is designed by Daniel Libeskind, not Michael Lee-Chin, who donated $30m to the museum. Nathan, Portsmouth, England.
Posted by Nathan at May 18, 2007 11:36 AMCorrection: This was not designed by Michael Lee-Chin, it was designed by Daniel Libeskind. Lee-Chin donated $30 million.
Posted by skube at May 18, 2007 11:56 AMNice photo, it actually manages to make the Crystal look good (Too bad it doesn't look good in real life).
As somebody who works at the ROM, I can strongly say that the ROM looked better before this monstronsity was constructed.
Posted by Duo at May 18, 2007 12:19 PMActually, the ROM "crystal" is designed by wunderkind architect Daniel Libeskind. Michael Lee-Chin is a financier and philanthropist who contributed to the ROM's fundraising campaign.
Posted by Barry Ditto at May 18, 2007 12:26 PMGreat photo of a now ugly building. You should check out the royal conservatory of music which is next door. They've done some work renovating up the place :P
Posted by David at May 18, 2007 01:56 PMSuch wonderful angles and lines. The sky is beautiful too.
Posted by Laurie at May 18, 2007 04:39 PMthose angles are crazy!
Posted by crash at May 18, 2007 04:59 PMNice photo, but I really dislike the new design. It WAS supposed to be all glass. Now the old museum looks like it's wearing an 80's jacket!
Posted by Julia at May 18, 2007 05:58 PMWicked architecture... Shot isn't perfect but I'm stunned 'cause I never saw this building before. Fascinating!
Posted by Erik at May 18, 2007 06:11 PMIt looked better in the architectural renderings. Wouldn't you have thought a building called "the crystal" would be clad in glass or maybe shiny metal rather than this clapboard-style aluminum siding?
Posted by gordito at May 18, 2007 08:02 PMSam, I'm a huge fan of your site. Amazing photos as usual!
I'm actually really impressed with this one... I can't believe you made such a hideous building look good!
Posted by arya at May 18, 2007 10:13 PMGreat abstract shot. I love the sky!
Posted by Alice at May 21, 2007 10:25 AMThis is a great photograph, and an amazing building. I'm surprised so many of the commenters can't appreciate the stunning architecture! Beautiful.
Posted by Ethan at May 21, 2007 06:09 PMDo you use a polarizing filter to achieve the deep blues of the sky? Or does Canada just look that cool?
Posted by Rich at May 22, 2007 04:38 PMWOW
Cool site!
:-)
was just in toronto last weekend and visited the newly opened ROM addition -- to the tune of $40 for my wife and i -- and it's not quite completely finished yet. the windows need washing and the site needs cleaning but i got the idea. as an architect, i can appreciate the amount of detail it takes to pull something like this off, but as a person on the street, it is daunting and somewhat terrifying. my only real complaint is that the joint at the seam between the old and new is not more elegant -- presently, it looks like an off-the-shelf flashing detail for a farm building.
Posted by nick at June 20, 2007 05:58 PMI agree. Great shots of an ugly building. I can't believe anyone with cognitive capabilities thinks it can be a good building. Just because it is weird does not mean it is good. And Libeskind is a known charlatan. He wanted his biography to be released on the 3rd Anniversary of 9/11 so he could sell copies at commemorative evenys. what a total schmuck!!!
Posted by HowardK at November 6, 2007 07:50 AM