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The Audain Art Museum is a 56,000-square-foot private museum located in Whistler, British Columbia, housing the private art collection of Michael Audain. Designed by the internationally-renowned firm Patkau Architects and opened to the public in 2016, boasting a comprehensive permanent collection of British Columbian art.

Timeline

 * September 21, 2012: Michael Audain visits Whistler to choose a site.
 * December 9, 2012: Michael Audain enters an agreement with the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to build a 25,000-square-foot museum to house a portion of his British Columbia art collection.
 * April 30, 2013: Michael Audain announces his decision to expand the art museum to 56,000-square-feet.
 * August, 2013: Construction begins on site at 4350 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC.
 * March 12, 2016: The Audain Art Museum opens to the public.

Structure
The museum, located at the base of the Whistler Mountain, is suspended one full storey above ground in response to site within the Fitzsimmons Creek floodplain. The 145-meter-long, elbow-shaped structure is suspended upon seven piers as its foundation system. The primary structure's three-dimensional bridge-like steel frame spans between the piers and is mostly concealed. The floor diaphragms consist primarily of reinforced concrete supported by a steel deck, while the roof structure consists of pre-fabricated long-span engineered wood panels. The use of a single concrete core, located at the elbow joint, provides lateral load resistance in the longitudinal direction, while a series of transverse steel frames, equipped with high ductility connectors are used for the first time in a real-life application, providing transverse load resistance. The use of these complex hybrid steel/concrete structural systems provide sufficient rigidity for the structure to achieve its long interior spans and dramatic cantilevers.

Design Intention
John Patkau, Principal of Patkau Architects, describes the museum's design as being shaped by three prominent factors. Firstly, its function as a gallery, housing both the permanent collection of Michael Audain in juxtaposition with temporary exhibits, changing intermittently. Second, the challenging site, located within the Fitzsimmons Creek floodplain, poses a flood risk on-site. Lastly, the enormous amount of snowfall that Whistler receives annually.

"Our design responds to these determinants, simply and directly, by projecting a volume of sequential public spaces and galleries into an existing linear void within the surrounding forest. It is elevated a full storey above the ground and crowned with a steeply-sloped roof..." - John Patkau, Patkau Architects

Site Response
The site is moderately forested, consisting of mature spruce and cedar trees. During the initial phase of construction, only one tree was removed in an effort to preserve the site's ecology. The museum's main entrance is accessible by bridge, connecting the site to Blackcomb Way. The intention of the design was to blend the building into the existing site; Michael Audain explains that the cladding “is an intentionally recessive colour—it recedes into the shadows, and that’s our view of the appropriate relationship between it and the context”.

Architect
Patkau Architects

Consultants
Structural: Equilibrium Consulting

Mechanical/Electrical: Integral Group

Lighting: HLB Lighting Design

Civil: Creus Engineering

Landscape: PFS Studio / Tom Barratt

Code: LMDG

Building Envelope: Spratt Emanuel Engineering

Floodproofing: Kerr Wood Leidal

Geotechnical: Geopacific Consultants

Snow Management: Mountain Resort Engineering

Signage: Gallop Varley

Museum Consultant: Lord Cultural Resources

Exhibition Design: Bricault Design

Construction Manager: Axiom Builders

Accolades
2018 RIBA Award for International Excellence

2018 Governor General's Medal in Architecture

2018 AIA Award - Architecture

2017 Wood Design Honor Award

2017 AIBC Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Medal in Architecture

2017 Azure AZ Award

2017 Canadian Wood Council Design Award

Permanent Collection
The Audain Art Museum displays a Permanent Collection of nearly 200 works of art, visually highlighting a historic journey of art from coastal British Columbia. The works span from the 18th century to the modern era and present day, containing one of the finest preserved collections of Northwest Coast First Nations masks; a large collection of works by Emily Carr, encompassing all periods of her artistic career; as well as art by important post-war modernists such as E.J. Hughes, Gordon Smith and Jack Shadbolt. In addition to these historical works, the Collection showcases art by internationally renowned contemporary British Columbia artists including Jeff Wall, Dana Claxton, Marianne Nicolson, Rodney Graham and Stan Douglas, among others.

Accessibility
The Audain Art Museum prioritizes the accessibility of art to all, with all public areas being wheelchair accessible for members of the public with limited mobility, as well as being one of the only museums to offer "touch tours" of the collection for members of the public with visual impairment.

Past Exhibitions
Since its inception, the Audain Art Museum has hosted numerous temporary exhibitions, displaying a variety of art works.

February 8 – October 18, 2020 The Extended Moment: Fifty Years of Collecting Photographs.

September 21 – January 20, 2020 Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing – French Modernism and the West Coast.

May 18 – August 26, 2019 Artistry Revealed: Peter Whyte, Catharine Robb Whyte and Their Contemporaries.

February 16 – May 6, 2019 Tales of an Empty Cabin: Somebody Nobody Was…

October 6 – January 28, 2019 Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection.

June 30 – September 17, 2018 POP.

March 30 – June 11, 2018 Beau Dick: Revolutionary Spirit.

March 9 – April 9, 2018 Shawn Hunt: Transformation.

June 10 – October 16, 2017 Edward Burtynsky: The Scarred Earth.

January 21 – May 22, 2017 Fred Herzog: Shadowlands.

Events
In addition to serving its primary function as a gallery, the Audain Art Museum is also available for rental as a venue, with accommodations for catering/dining. There are four venue spaces within the museum ranging in size between 1,570-5,540 square-feet, able to accommodate up to 400-persons.

Governance
The Audain Art Museum is incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, effective October 4, 2012 and is a Registered Charity. The Museum’s Board of Trustees serves as its governing body. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the institution achieves its Mission and Vision and that the Museum’s programs and activities reflects its Values. The Board has a fiduciary responsibility to the Museum and provides strategic direction to the Director & Chief Curator. The Board delegates authority for day-to-day management of the Museum to the Director & Chief Curator.