AGO reveals what its major expansion will look like

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) released renderings this week of a major expansion that will add 40,000 square feet to the museum, tied to a donation from the chairman and chief executive officer of Canada Goose.
The $35-million gift will result in at least 13 new galleries “united” by consistent and clean finishes, spanning across five floors, according to the AGO.
Art Gallery of Ontario external rendering by Play-time, courtesy of AGO, Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architect.
External renderings of the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery – named after the Canada Goose donor – show a boxy building mounted on the museum’s curved entrance structure.
Inside renderings depict column-free galleries with high ceilings and hypothetical gallery-goers hovering around modern art pieces in wide open spaces. The open-ended structural capacity will make it possible to bring in complex immersive installations, according to the AGO.
The gallery said one of the cornerstone principles for the project is to take the open space as an opportunity to shape it around the works they are displaying, dividing galleries into more intimate spaces when the art calls for it. These new additions will connect with four locations within pre-existing galleries.
Internal rendering of Art Gallery of Ontario courtesy of AGO, Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architect.
The AGO is aiming to join a small number of museums that have received a CAGBC Zero Carbon Building certification by operating without burning fossil fuel for the new space.
According to the AGO, this will be the seventh expansion of the museum since its inception in 1900. The expansion is estimated to cost $100-million, and is currently undergoing a municipal and public review process.
Art Gallery of Ontario internal rendering, courtesy of AGO, Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architect.
During the expansion, the AGO will remain open. However, gallery spaces adjacent to the construction might close at times.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hundreds of American firefighters arrive in Canada to help battle wildfires
Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada to help battle wildfires and more are on the way, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

Can face masks help protect you from wildfire smoke? Health expert explains
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
Here's how major cities in Canada and the U.S. look blanketed by wildfire smoke
Photos show smoke-filled skies in cities across Canada and the U.S. as air quality warnings were issued in wake of the hundreds of wildfires from Quebec and Ontario.
'Very, very hard to breathe': Experts call wildfires a 'major public health concern' for Canada
As forest fires rage across the country, experts are sounding the alarm over the physical and psychological impacts of the wildfires and saying that they pose a serious public health issue, which individuals and governments need to acknowledge and act upon.
WATCH | Rate hike 'may be the last straw' for some homeowners: mortgage broker
With the latest hike bringing Canada's key interest rates to levels not seen since 2001, one mortgage broker is warning that it may be 'the last straw' for some homeowners with variable mortgages.
Canadians more likely to support foreign interference inquiry than hearings: Nanos
Canadians are twice as likely to support a formal inquiry into foreign interference, as opposed to public hearings, according to new polling from Nanos Research for CTV News.
opinion | Eight takeaways from Prince Harry's seven hours on the witness stand
It's been a busy, tumultuous few days for Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex as he took his place on the witness stand in his trial against the Mirror Group Newspapers. Here are royal commentator Afua Hagan's top takeaways from his two-day grilling.
Calgary mass killer Matthew de Grood seeks 'absolute discharge'
The man who was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people at a house party in Brentwood more than nine years ago is seeking more freedoms.
Trudeau shows no interest in compromising with Meta, Google over online news bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is showing no interest in compromising with Meta and Google over a Liberal bill that would make them pay for Canadian journalism that helps the companies generate revenue.