Diamond Schmitt Architects Reveals Design for the New Brunswick Museum in Canada

Diamond Schmitt Architects, together with Associate Architect EXP, has unveiled the design for the New Brunswick Museum (NBM). Envisioned as an extension of Canada’s oldest museum, the new wing will expand the museum’s spaces for research and exhibitions while maintaining a minimum carbon footprint. The intervention is located on the historic Saint John site, taking advantage of the unique location by opening up views towards both the urban center and the Harbor of Saint John.

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The project integrates the east wing of the museum’s Collections and Research Center, which was built in 1934, and adds five new wings to the north of the site. Measuring a total of 134,00 square feet, the museum hopes to attract visitors through community gatherings, festivals, and receptions. On the ground floor, the atrium serves as a connection between the east entrance and the north-south galleries connected to the educational spaces. The historical building will host a library, archives, and a 115-seat auditorium, along with administrative, storage, and research spaces.

Exhibition spaces span the length of the building, located on the second floor and measuring 30,000 square feet. The six permanent galleries and a temporary gallery are designed for continuous circulation, while the floors are designed to facilitate natural light and views of the river. A rooftop terrace creates additional space for gatherings, contributing to the encouragement of contemplation and connection to the surrounding landscape.

For the design of the new wing of the museum, mass timber is considered, as the renewable material contributes to a low-carbon construction while also reflecting the local shipbuilding heritage. The interior also prioritizes woos and stone finishes. The architects are striving for a zero-carbon certification, as they also provision strategies to decarbonize the building, adding adequate insulation, triple-glazed windows, electric boilers, and air source heat pumps to increase heating and cooling efficiency.

Taking inspiration from the museum’s original site—one of the great vantage points in Saint John—our design embraces the rich history of New Brunswick’s heritage and natural landscape. This is a museum project for the past, present, and future of New Brunswick, prioritizing archives and conservation capabilities, major exhibition galleries, community and education spaces, and environmental sustainability through the use of mass timber and our goal of zero-carbon certification. – Donald Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt

Recently, Diamond Schmitt and Lemay Michaud have just revealed the plans for a significant revitalization and expansion project for McGill University in Montreal, Canada, transforming a section of the former hospital into a hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching. Also in Canada, Diamond Schmitt, together with KWC Architects, has announced progress at the construction site of the two joint facilities of the Ottawa Public Library and the Library and Archives Canada.