Two New Galleries Open at the Royal Alberta Museum, Children Learn about Alberta Province and about Bugs

The offices of SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership in New York City and kubik in Toronto, ON announce that after nearly a decade of planning, the new building for the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) opened its doors in downtown Edmonton in October. At 39,000 m2 (419,000 sf) with 7,600 m2 (82,000sf) of exhibition space, the new museum is the largest in Western Canada and one of the most popular in the country.

SKOLNICK designed, and kubik provided design/build services for, a new 650 m2 (7,000 sf) gallery devoted to children and their families that explores and highlights the natural resources and industries of Alberta. This immersive, discovery-based gallery is designed to foster inter-generational experiences and tap children’s innate curiosity. It features a paleontological dig site and a weather wall that kids can control. In addition, this multisensory gallery offers a “Maker Space”, an “Early Childhood Gallery” that features engaging activities based on the educational needs of children ages birth to six, a “Museums 101” area that highlights artifacts and their stories, and a Chautauqua performance and programming space. The children’s gallery is a first of its kind in the Alberta Province.

A second gallery space, The Bugs Gallery, was a perennial favorite at RAM’s former location. SKOLNICK’s redesign has an elegant new look and feel and was brought to life through kubik’s exhibit fabrication and showcases. This “art gallery for bugs” is a 280 m2 (3,000 sf) exhibit that houses more than 200 live specimens plus an adjacent lab for working scientists. The central exhibit feature is an undulating sculptural structure that references a “hive” and is the home of the Museum’s collection of social invertebrates. Collection tanks and aquaria are organized around this central hub according to their natural groupings and include opportunities for visitors to get up close with the insects.