The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto just announced its most significant renovation in years, revealing a sweeping transformation planned for the controversial Michael Lee-Chin Crystal — one that will bring a new free-to-access area for the popular attraction.

The plan was announced on Wednesday in a press conference at the ROM featuring Siamak Hariri, founding partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects, the firm handling this transformational overhaul.

In an initiative that the project team is calling "OpenROM," the museum's oft-criticized 2008-opened expansion will be reimagined to make the landmark more welcoming both inside and out by the time the project is complete in 2027.

Announcing OpenROM: a multifaceted initiative to create a destination cultural and civic hub in the heart of Toronto. Expect a revitalized main floor with sweeping and sunlit gathering spaces, fully animated by programming and performances, and free for all to enjoy. pic.twitter.com/dvNLjOWVfP

— Royal Ontario Museum (@ROMtoronto) February 14, 2024

"We're going to re-introduce ROM to Toronto with a design that, in effect, turns the Museum inside out and dissolves boundaries between the public realm and the interior," says Siamak Hariri.

"We're going to bring daylight and views deep inside and create porous connections with Bloor Street, within the ground floor public spaces, and the galleries themselves."

The original Daniel Libeskind-designed crystal will retain its iconic form, though much is set to change.

A reworked plaza with a new fountain incorporated into a redesigned entrance along Bloor will lead visitors into a new interior plaza that will be animated with programming and performances.

Six thousand square feet of new gallery space will grace the crystal's upper levels, an area that will be entirely free and publicly accessible, offering the public a new way to see the ROM's collections of art, culture and nature.

This new space is planned in addition to significant modifications to the existing 86,000-square-foot main floor — which will also be opened up to the public entirely free once the project wraps in 2027.

"OpenROM is more than a physical transformation; it is a major leap forward in the Museum's ongoing evolution to becoming an even more welcoming and accessible space," said Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO.

"This is an opportunity to truly throw the doors of the Museum open, both literally and figuratively, and invite more people in to experience all ROM has to offer," said Basseches.

Construction on the OpenROM project has officially commenced, and the museum will remain open throughout the project.