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Diamond Schmitt Architects, in conjunction with EXP, is expanding the Museum of New Brunswick’s footprint to build a new facility in the heart of the city, not far from the Saint John River. The Museum of New Brunswick in St. John’s, Canada, is the country’s oldest continuing museum: the institution’s acclaimed history dates back to 1842 with Abraham Gesner’s Museum of Natural History.
Its current wing, a neoclassical building built in 1934, is located on St. John Douglas Avenue next to Riverview Memorial Park. Historic Douglas Avenue is a stately setting lined with 19th-century houses, topped by the “Widow’s Walk,” a reference to the towers designed to allow families of sailors to watch ships return to port. The museum said on its website that the expansion brings together “programs, collections and staff” spread across different locations across the city
Diamond Schmitt is the design architect for the 134,000-square-foot building, and EXP is the associate architect. The design team and museum are working with Native leaders and communities on the project, which is located on Wabanaki land.
The architects recently released renderings of their design, which features five new wings linking the museum’s research and exhibitions with a sustainable, decarbonized facility. The design team’s goal was to create a meaningful community gathering space for the entire city and province that would celebrate New Brunswick’s cultural and natural heritage.
“Our design was inspired by the museum’s original site, one of St. John’s great viewpoints, and incorporates New Brunswick’s rich historical heritage and natural landscape,” said Donald Schmitt, principal at Diamond Schmitt. A museum project for New Brunswick’s past, present and future, prioritizing archival and conservation capabilities, major exhibition galleries, community and educational spaces, and environmental sustainability through the use of mass timber and our zero-carbon certification Target”.
Renderings show square volumes and minimal decoration, contrasting with and enhancing the decorative facade of the 1934 building. The architects said the new extension’s east facade is proportional to the portico and wings of the existing heritage building. This façade is designed to capture light and contrast with the historic building’s limestone facade, creating a shimmering effect.
Planned, the new building will combine the east wing of the Museum of New Brunswick’s historical collections and research center with five new wings to the north. The design team specified a new accessible main entrance that will greet visitors with a multi-story “public great room” that can be used for a variety of functions.
The public lobby will include a boutique, café, ticketing area and a new public “Introduction to New Brunswick” gallery. The space is located on the second floor and overlooks the great room. Cumulatively, the second floor will have 30,000 square feet of exhibition space throughout the building. This will include six permanent galleries and temporary gallery space for tours and special exhibitions.
The public lobby will serve as a crossroads for the Museum of New Brunswick. It will connect the east entrance with an outdoor terrace and lead to a north-south promenade filled with educational spaces, Diamond Schmidt said. The historic wing frontage will house the library, archive reading room, 115-seat auditorium and staff management spaces. Meanwhile, the first floor and basement will expand storage, conservation and research areas for the Museum of New Brunswick’s collections.
Today, Diamond Schmidt Architects is still working on a major museum project in Toronto. The Canadian firm, along with Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architect, is designing the Art Gallery of Ontario’s seventh expansion, which, like the one in St. John’s, draws inspiration from its context.
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