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Aga Khan Museum

Aga Khan Museum
Aga Khan Museum in Toronto- Exterior
General information
Type	Islamic art and Islamic culture
Location	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Completed	September 18, 2014
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Fumihiko Maki
Architecture firm	Maki and Associates
Awards and prizes	Azure Award(2014) OAA Design Excellence Award(2016) Award of Distinction: Aga Khan Museum - 'Home Ground' Contemporary Art from the Barjeel Art Foundation(2016)
Website
www.agakhanmuseum.org

Being finally introduced to the public eye as of September 18, 2014, the Aga Khan museum was completed and now ready for the viewings of local Torontonians and individuals from all places. Being visibly near one of Toronto’s major artery Highways the “Don Valley Parkway”, the building itself is located at 77 Wynford Drive, North York of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Museum denotes a strong usage of Islamic Architecture, yet doesn't hinder its purpose to portray its true intention of Islamic art and Islamic culture. As widespread and diverse the city of Toronto is of all cultures around the world, it still remains to continue the diversification process with the aid of the Museum dedicating itself to inform and educate others the history of the Islamic people. While having its intentions towards the Islamic culture, it’s architectural impact is huge as being the first museum devoted to Islamic arts and objects.

The Museum's Upcoming

Originally the museum's intentions were to be constructed in England, U.K. In the year of 2001, the Aga Khan proposed an initial $60 million(CAD) to purchase land near St. Thomas Hospital for what he intended to be the site of his new Islamic museum representing significant cultural purpose. As rejection and outcry ensued towards his failed bidding attempt, the ambition of the Aga Khan wasn’t snuffed out as revealing to the public that he will have the Museum be built beside one of his previous projects “The Ismaili Centre” located in Toronto. This decision would further add significance to the site as the two buildings would now define themselves with exceptional juxtaposition.

Building Info

The $300 million dollar structure itself takes place beside the adjacent Don Valley Parkway and Ismaili Centre, and represents more than just an architectural feature, but a historical turning point for Canada with distinguished direction bringing together the already dissociated Islamic community with the Western society. The building itself is comprised of a structural system of reinforced concrete and steel, has two stories and a basement, consists of a net site area of 70,000m2, a total building area of 4,000m², and a total floor area of 11,600m².

Design Aspect

The designing architect of the museum was none other than Fumihiko Maki, a well renowned architectural designer known for his Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1993. With the given 6.8 hectare (17 acre) site to construct his vision, he managed to orient his design adjacent to the Toronto’s Ismaili Centre whilst providing a spatial opportunity for the landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic to deliver a aesthetically pleasing new greenscape (known now as Aga Khan Park) that complements the museum and Ismaili centre.

Interior courtyard of Aga Khan Museum

The Aga Khan Museum is one component to the complementary others. It’s importance of it being easily accessible by transit and being 15 minutes north of the downtown area is relevant to its intentions as a cultural gathering space. The entirety of the establishment consisting of a nearby prayer hall, museum, and Islamic garden delivers a fluent pattern that any user can choose to partake through functions of the museum, auditorium, education, restaurant, prayer hall, and greenspace park to their desires. While the museum, auditorium, education, restaurant circumbabulates around a central courtyard, acts as a form to skip spaces in the museum and a provider of a usable space to integrate all sorts of activities. This characteristic of design format enables the central courtyard space to be essentially the heart space, allowing the chance for diversity of many cultures.

As implementing the importance of light, the utilization of material and location allows drastic light qualities to ensue. With everlasting effect, the diffusion of light through different parts of the structure displays a spectacle, granting continuous new environmental properties, enriching the beauty of what was and what will be.

Museum Gallery Spaces

Bellerive Room

This room was also known as the “Persian Salon”. The room is a recreation of a private room of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and his wife Princess Catherine Aga Khan from the Chateau de Bellerive in Geneva, Switzerland. In the past it was known to be of importance as it was where collectable art pieces were placed and displayed. Composed of many Islamic, African sculptures, eighteenth-century French furniture, and European and contemporary art. As of now, there are currently 60 Islamic ceramics being held on display, allowing newcomers insight to such a distinct craftsmanship and artistic styling of Islamic potters dating back as the early seventeenth century. While the centering of the room is furniture focused, the displays of pottery themselves are oriented on the outskirts of the room, filling the surface area on the surrounding walls.

Beyond Materiality – Recovering the Intangible Dimensions of an Object

This is the Permanent Collection Gallery, consisting mainly of calligraphy and ornaments, the space is well lit and displays an anchored environment of well protected/encased displays. These works of art and calligraphy pose great significance of past history and format of literature style through various written or drawn forms. The issue of these pieces is the sensation of being outcast from other original works, as through the passage of time many scripts and literature lose their sense of originality, leading to a bleak and metamorphosed translation.  

Emperors & Jewels – Treasures of the Indian Courts from the Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait

Being one of the two temporary exhibit spaces, Emperors & Jewels: Treasures of the Indian Courts from the Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait. Displayed the luxuries, and riches of the ideological ruling male of Mughal India, with bejeweled weapons, adornments and miniature paintings shown to the public. This exhibit was a way to represent what is an “ideal male of power”, through battles and stories, in addition to the financial awe seeing display of their time. The rulings of money is power, and power over-all defines what can be correlated to our present time, “all those seek the everlasting power over others” and money portrays and acts as the source for those in possession.

Other Local Sites

• Aga Khan Park
• Ismaili center, Toronto

External Links

• Aga Khan Museum Website
• Aga Khan Park
• "Fumihiko Maki completes white granite museum for Aga Khan Foundation". Dezeen. 2014-09-15. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
• "Award of Distinction: Aga Khan Museum - 'Home Ground' Contemporary Art from the Barjeel Art Foundation | RGD". www.rgd.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
• "Toronto Architectural Conservancy - TO Built = Aga Khan Museum". www.acotoronto.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-01.