Canadian practice Diamond Schmitt Architects, along with Associate Architect EXP, has unveiled the design of the new home of the New Brunswick Museum (NBM) in Saint John, New Brunswick. 

Canada’s oldest continuing museum, the NBM’s footprint is set to expand, with its research work and exhibitions united within one sustainable, decarbonized facility. 

The design integrates the east wing of the museum’s historic Collections and Research Center and adds five new wings to the north. The new facility will span 134,000 square feet. A new main entrance on street level will lead visitors into a multi-story, public great room. In addition to its use for the museum, this space will host community gatherings, festivals, events, and receptions. It will feature a boutique, café, ticketing services, and a public “Introduction to New Brunswick” gallery. Exhibition galleries on the second floor will overlook the great room.

The great room will connect the museum’s east entrance to an outdoor terrace to the west. It will also lead to a north-south galleria connected to education spaces. On the southern end of the museum, the façade of the historic wing will feature a library and archival reading room, a 115-seat auditorium, and administrative spaces. The ground and basement floors will include expanded storage, conservation, and research spaces.

The second floor will contain 30,000 square feet of exhibition space, including six permanent galleries and a temporary gallery space. Open gathering spaces will crisscross the atrium from above, providing light and openness to the galleries. This openness will be reinforced by floor-to-ceiling bay windows that overlook the surrounding city and natural landscape. Additionally, a new rooftop terrace will offer panoramic views in all directions and create more space for community gatherings and contemplation.

The building’s design is also sensitive to the site’s topography. The west-facing façade will be softly arced in response to the landscape and curve of the nearby Saint John River’s shoreline, complete with an outdoor terrace. 

The building’s east façade is proportional to the portico and wings of the heritage building. It will capture shimmering light, contrasting the historic limestone of the original façade.

The museum is considering the use of mass timber, which will contribute to the architects’ goal of achieving zero-carbon certification. Other measures to decarbonize the building include adding insulation, triple-glazed windows, electric boilers, and air-source heat pumps that 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,” said Donald Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt. “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.”