Arthur Erickson's Museum of Anthropology at UBC has been given a new lease of life in Vancouver
After an extensive renovation, The Museum of Anthropology is part Shinto shrine, part cathedral, part longhouse – and a temple to learning
The reopening last month of Arthur Erickson’s 1976 Museum of Anthropology on what would have been the prolific architect’s 100th birthday, calls to mind a Japanese tradition.
As a meditation on the idea of impermanence, the Shikinen Sengu divine palace within the 2000-year-old Ise-Jingu Shinto shrine is demolished every 20 years and then rebuilt to the same dimensions but on an alternate site within the precinct. In a similar vein, Erickson’s modernist monument and Canada’s largest teaching museum has been reincarnated – after an 18-month closure for a $40 million seismic upgrade – with new aesthetic and architectural life.
Tour the refreshed Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Vancouver
This was both an architectural and curatorial resurrection. New seismic safety standards meant that Erickson’s iconic Great Hall had to be effectively destroyed and rebuilt.
The building’s choreography mirrors the whole process. Now as one walks through the dark canal of the east-facing entranceway that extends into the soaring Great Hall embracing the Western horizon, there is a palpable sense of rebirth.
But leading a tour of the building, long-time Erickson associate Nick Milkovich who worked on the original building and was tasked with its reconstruction said: 'If I did my job well, you won’t notice any difference.' Indeed, the changes are seamless and subtle, but significant.
The new architectural and curatorial vision – one that has added to the permanent exhibition 50 new artefacts and signage that contextualises the objects on display in terms of cultural genocide and contemporary discourse in the field and beyond – are of a piece with the original. The Great Hall was demolished and rebuilt with a precast columns and beam structure sitting on a cast-in-place concrete slab, thickened under the columns, all of which rests on isolators within the crawl space.
The old tempered glass, which would have shattered instantly in an earthquake, has been replaced by stronger, laminated sheets with UV protection. Plates of glass are cantilevered from the concrete columns and are fixed to a steel rod suspended from the channel beam, allowing them to move in concert with the movement of the structure. Now, 'they can dance with the building,' says Milkovich. The new configuration of glass, woven together by steel, lends a sense of architecture as textile art.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Now there is an even clearer sense of the building’s connection to the land – and, if one goes deeper, a clearer view of the settler/patron’s place within the museum. With its cleaner, brighter transparency and new concrete columns, there is a greater articulation of Erickson’s original intent.
The Museum of Anthropology – part Shinto shrine, part cathedral, part longhouse – is a temple to learning. Its design hopes to transcend the colonial context of the museum, moving from the darkened entranceway through to the great hall, a place birthing light. Views of water and mountains beckon us into a future of reconciliation.
-
Apple’s new Mac mini is a pocket-sized powerhouse thanks to the M4 processor
With the new Mac mini, Apple has squeezed its M4 and M4 Pro processors into the smallest conceivable footprint, physically and environmentally. Apple insiders tell us how
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
One to Watch: EJM Studio’s stool is inspired by the humble church pew
EJM Studio’s ‘Pew’ stool reimagines the traditional British church seating with a modern, eco-conscious twist
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Hong Kong brutalism explored: tour the island with this new architectural map
Hong Kong brutalism is brought into sharp focus through the launch of Brutalist Hong Kong Map, the latest of its kind in publisher Blue Crow Media’s 20th-century architecture series
By Yoko Choy Published
-
This sustainable family home is an Ontario retreat in tune with its setting
Ridge House by Superkül is a private Canadian retreat that nods to its context and embraces nature and landscape
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Bunkie on The Hill is a cosy Canadian cottage full of charm
Bunkie on The Hill, a design by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, is tucked into the trees, slotting neatly into Ontario's nature
By Shawn Adams Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Svima looked to Japanese architecture, 'nature and ecology' for Passageway House in Serbia
The Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024 includes Svima, a young Canadian practice joining our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A dramatic new lakeside cabin in the Canadian wilderness rises above the trees
Kariouk Architects' lakeside cabin ‘m.o.r.e. CLT’ explores new material approaches while making a minimal impact on a precious landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Forest Retreat is a new low-energy family house in the forests of Ontario
Set beneath a vast roof, Forest Retreat is a rich mix of local materials, craftsmanship and space for an extended family to get together in the heart of nature
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Join the West Coast Modern Week's Home Tour 2024 for modernist architecture and more
West Coast Modern Week 2024 comes with its annual home tour courtesy of the West Vancouver Art Museum, offering an extensive, immersive showcase of Canada's modernist architecture
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
A modernist lakeside cottage in Ontario provides a perfect backdrop for family vacations
A lakeside cottage by Canadian studio Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has been shaped as a modest multigenerational retreat to accommodate the surrounding wilderness
By Jonathan Bell Published