Toronto-based Diamond + Schmitt will design a new $8-million gallery and research centre at Ryerson University in Toronto. Diamond + Schmitt’s design, which was selected from 11 other bidders on the project, will add new gallery, research, study and storage space to the university’s School of Image Arts building. The project includes the Mira Godard Study Centre and exhibit spaces that are accessible from the street.
The centre will house the Black Star Photography Collection, a collection of approximately 300,000 original black-and-white photos from the Black Star photojournalism agency. The collection, which was anonymously donated to the university along with $7 million for its preservation, includes photos from reknowned photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson.
“It will be a place of stories told by the images of people who have played a role on the history of the 20th century,” said Donald Schmitt, architect in charge of the project.
Diamond + Schmitt, established in 1975, has received over 100 regional, national and international awards for design, including six Governor General’s Awards for architecture.