Iconic B.C. museum reopens after 'cutting-edge' 18-month seismic upgrade
CTV
One of Canada's most prominent museums is reopening after an 18-month upgrade for "cutting-edge" base-isolation retrofitting that would allow it to survive a once-in-2,500-year earthquake.
Working on the $40-million seismic upgrade for one of Canada's most prominent museums was an intensely personal experience for architect Nick Milkovich.
He started his career under renowned architect Arthur Erickson and worked on some aspects of the award-winning concrete and glass design of the Museum of Anthropology on the University of British Columbia campus before the building opened in 1976.
After an 18-month closure to implement "cutting-edge" base-isolation upgrades for the Great Hall, Milkovich said he felt an immense responsibility to carry forward his mentor's vision in preserving the iconic structure's design through the entire process.
"His studio gave me the opportunity to become a decent architect," Milkovich said of Erickson at the museum on Tuesday. "So, it's gratitude, and it's also an obligation to that learning session that I had in that wonderful studio and the people I met."
On Thursday, the Museum of Anthropology will reopen with new exhibits after the seismic upgrade, which features a system that would allow it to survive a once-in-2,500-year earthquake.
UBC facilities director of project services Jay Hiscox said the seismic upgrade at the museum was challenging, given Erickson's "unconventional" design where adding new support would have "complicated the building and lost its essence."
Hiscox and Milkovich agreed that in order to preserve the design language of the Great Hall, the only method available to them was the base-isolation, which is more commonly used in earthquake zones such as Japan and Turkey.
