A new art museum, dedicated to the art of the people of British Columbia, is about to open its doors in Whistler, Canada.

Opening on 12 March, the CA$30m (US$22.6m, €20.5m, £15.9m) Audain Art Museum, designed by Vancouver-based design firm Patkau Architects, sits within a grove of trees and is designed to blend in with its surroundings, with only a single tree having to be removed to build it.

Nestled in the wooded area, the angular museum, clad in dark metal, is raised several metres above the ground due to a flood plain.

“The feeling is that the museum will be quietly inserted into a void within the forest,” said lead architect John Patkau.”It will be recessive and restrained in its visual presence.”

The 56,000sq ft (5,203sq m) museum features a main gallery to display the art collection of owner Michael Audain and his wife Yoshiko, as well as a second wing to host temporary exhibitions. The main area is spread over two storeys, with 14,000sq ft (1,300sq m) of exhibition space. The temporary exhibition area covers 557sq m (6,000sq ft), boasting a high ceiling stretching 30ft (9m) to create an impressive arts space. In total the museum has seven galleries with 183 pieces.

With annual visitors numbers to Whistler being around 2.5 million, the museum is hoping to draw 250,000 visitors annually – around 1 in 10. Part of the motivation behind the development is to showcase the art and history of British Columbia, which makes up the bulk of Audain’s permanent collection, to the international community.