12 New museums that change the experience of exhibiting and seeing
18/05/2021.
Reinterpreting the space
metalocus, MARÍA ONSINA
metalocus, MARÍA ONSINA
The monumental architecture of museums stands out on the scale of the city or in contrast to the surrounding environment. They are easily recognizable with the naked eye and on a large number of occasions are even considered benchmarks on the ground. However, the importance of these buildings is found in their interior, in the art, and above all, in the way, they are presented to the viewer.
We collect in this article 12 museum projects that reinterpreted the visitor experience. The architects and studios mentioned are Renzo Piano Building Workshop, David Chipperfield Architects, Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, SOM, BIG, Carmody Groarke, Jean Nouvel, OPEN Architecture, Kengo Kuma, and Amanda Levete.
We collect in this article 12 museum projects that reinterpreted the visitor experience. The architects and studios mentioned are Renzo Piano Building Workshop, David Chipperfield Architects, Álvaro Siza, Carlos Castanheira, SOM, BIG, Carmody Groarke, Jean Nouvel, OPEN Architecture, Kengo Kuma, and Amanda Levete.
MoAE – Huamao Museum of Art Education by Álvaro Siza with Carlos Castanheira. Photography by HouPictures.
MoAE – Huamao Museum of Art Education by Álvaro Siza with Carlos Castanheira. Photography by HouPictures.
MoAE – Huamao Museum of Art Education by Álvaro Siza with Carlos Castanheira. Photography by HouPictures.
MoAE – Huamao Museum of Art Education by Álvaro Siza with Carlos Castanheira. Photography by HouPictures.
After delays, the $500-million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will open in late September 2021. Photograph by Josh White/Courtesy JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation
The scene-stealing Dolby Family Terrace at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is shielded by a sweeping glass dome. Photograph by Josh White/Courtesy JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation.
The 1,000-seat David Geffen Theatre is the larger of the museum’s two theaters. Photograph by Josh White/Courtesy JWPictures/Academy Museum Foundation.
Heimplatz façade (South elevation). New Kunsthaus Zürich extension by David Chipperfield Architects. Photograph by Noshe
Exhibition room, First floor. New Kunsthaus Zürich extension by David Chipperfield Architects. Photograph by Noshe
Exhibition room, Second floor. New Kunsthaus Zürich extension by David Chipperfield Architects. Photograph by Noshe
National Museum of the United States Army by SOM. Photograph by Dave Burk, SOM
National Museum of the United States Army by SOM. Photograph by Dave Burk, SOM
National Museum of the United States Army by SOM. Photograph by Dave Burk, SOM
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Windermere Jetty boat museum by Carmody Groarke. Photograph by Christian Richter
Windermere Jetty boat museum by Carmody Groarke. Photograph by Christian Richter
Windermere Jetty boat museum by Carmody Groarke. Photograph by Christian Richter
Twist museum by BIG. Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu
Twist museum by BIG. Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu
Twist museum by BIG. Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu
National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel. Photograph by Iwan Baan
National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel. Photograph by Iwan Baan
National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Aerial View. UCCA Dune Art Museum by Open Architecture. Image by WU Qingshan
UCCA Dune Art Museum by Open Architecture. Photograph by Wu Qingshan.
UCCA Dune. Courtesy of Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, UCCA.
Comico Art Museum Yufuin by Kengo Kuma. Photography by Mitsumasa Fujitsuka
Comico Art Museum Yufuin by Kengo Kuma. Photography by Mitsumasa Fujitsuka
Comico Art Museum Yufuin by Kengo Kuma. Photography by Mitsumasa Fujitsuka
Exterior. Louvre Abu Dhabiís by Jean Nouvel. Photograph © Louvre Abu Dhabi, Photography: Mohamed Somji
View over looking the sea. Louvre Abu Dhabiís by Jean Nouvel. Photograph © Louvre Abu Dhabi, Photography: Mohamed Somji
Louvre Abu Dhabiís by Jean Nouvel. Photograph © Roland Halbe
Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology by Amanda Levete, AL_A. Photography © Francisco Nogueira
Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology by Amanda Levete, AL_A. Photography © Francisco Nogueira
Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology by Amanda Levete, AL_A. Photography © Fernando Guerra
The experience and the different sensations when visiting an exhibition space is what makes the difference between museums, every minute detail influences, from the position of the works to the appropriate lighting. Sculptures should not be presented in the same way as photographs, and vice versa.
The chosen projects share the same intention, adapting to their use and large traffic of visitors in the most efficient, artistic, and effective way to be able to amaze anyone interested in contemplating them, either from the outside or from the inside.
1. MoAE, Humao Museum of Art and Education by Álvaro Siza and Carlos Castanheira
The chosen projects share the same intention, adapting to their use and large traffic of visitors in the most efficient, artistic, and effective way to be able to amaze anyone interested in contemplating them, either from the outside or from the inside.
1. MoAE, Humao Museum of Art and Education by Álvaro Siza and Carlos Castanheira
The Art Education Museum, designed by the collaboration between the architects Álvaro Siza and Carlos Castanheira, is a small museum that is immense inside. Leaning against the hillside, its undulating shape floats above the ground and is intriguing in its elegance and mystery.
From the outside it reflects the ever-changing daylight, causing the shape to move and transform. Inside, the introspective calm of the exhibition spaces contrasts with the movement of the visitors who circulate in the enormous void. Dynamism is taught through art.
The Renzo Piano Building Workshop studio, directed by Piano, has led the renovation of the Academy Museum with a new exterior appearance, as well as a futuristic interior of the Academy's cinema museum, adding a new and impressive sphere of concrete and glass, a structure that houses the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater, topped by a gazebo.
The spherical dome is comprised of 1,500 overlapping low-iron glass tiles, which were cut into 146 different shapes and sizes. A more intimate 288-seat theater is the museum's "cinematheque," which offers screenings of all kinds.
The new Kunsthaus Zürich extension, designed by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, expands the existing Kunsthaus museum, located between the Grossmünster church and the university. The new building, which is part of the largest museum in Switzerland, combines tradition and innovation through its use of materials.
The architectural identity is based on the traditional stone facades, as found in the existing Kunsthaus and many other important public buildings in Zurich. Therefore, the extension is embedded in a culture of construction that is an expression of an enlightened civil society.
The National Museum of the United States Army, designed by SOM, is the first national museum to tell the story of the oldest military service in the United States, from its early days as a colonial militia to its present state.
The museum's design evokes the principles of the Army: it is disciplined, modest, and rigorous. The simplicity and sharpness of the exterior enclosure, made of stainless steel panels insulated against rain and eight inches thick, allows a reflection on the facade, transforming the character of the building in each season and time of day.
In 2014, BIG won the architectural competition that Audemars Piguet organized to expand its historic facilities. The firm designed a contemporary spiral-shaped glass pavilion to complement the company's older building, where Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet originally established their workshop.
The pavilion of the Musée Atelier gradually rises above curved structural glass walls. The spiral has been designed to perfectly integrate the surrounding landscape, the floors follow different slopes to adapt to the natural gradient of the terrain.
The new museum, by Carmody Groarke, houses a collection of ships of international importance on the shores of Windermere in the Lake District National Park. It includes exhibition spaces for the presentation of steamboats, motorboats, yachts, and other vessels that tell the stories of their construction and use on the lake.
The visitor experience between buildings is emphasized in a park landscape that creates a connection between people, boats, and water, as well as providing a reinterpretation of the picturesque and industrial heritage of the site.
Across the winding Randselva River, BIG's first project in Norway, The Twist, opens like a twisted habitable bridge at its center, forming a new journey and work of art within the Kistefos Sculpture Park in Jevnaker, Norway.
A simple turn in the volume of the building allows the bridge to rise from the lower, forested riverbank in the south to the hillside area in the north. Like a continuous path in the landscape, both sides of the building serve as the main entrance.
The building designed by Jean Nouvel evokes the crystallization of a desert rose (a mineral formation typical of the Persian Gulf region). The form is highly scenographic and wants to root a nomadic culture of pearl fishermen turned into lords of the energies of the 20th century, of oil and natural gas.
The museum offers a journey through several unique settings, including architectural spaces, music, poetry, archaeological objects, commissioned artwork, monumental-scale art films, and more.
Located on a quiet beach along the coast of North China's Bohai Bay, the UCCA Dune Art Museum is carved out of the sand, where it gently disappears. Looking through different openings framed by the building, museum visitors can observe the ever-changing expressions of the sky and sea throughout the day.
A series of connected cell-like spaces host the rich and varied programs of the UCCA Dune Art Museum by OPEN Architecture, including galleries of varying sizes, studios, and a cafeteria.
The project is a small contemporary art museum, near a famous hot spring complex in Kyushu, which has fostered a unique local culture in the nearby town of Yufuin.
To integrate the museum with its forested mountains that frame the Yufuin basin, Kengo Kuma proposed covering the building with Yakisugi (charred cedar). This traditional method of wood preservation is a traditional treatment commonly used on the exterior of buildings, particularly in western Japan. The structure appears as a dark black volume from afar, but zooming in reveals the warmth of the wood.
Jean Nouvel has sought inspiration for the concept of Louvre Abu Dhabi in traditional Arab architectural culture. The 180 meter wide dome covers most of the museum and becomes an iconic structure visible from the sea, the surrounding areas, and the city of Abu Dhabi.
The complex pattern of the dome is the result of a highly studied geometric design, repeated in various sizes and angles in the eight overlapping layers. Each ray of light must penetrate all eight layers, creating a cinematic effect.
The MAAT, designed by Amanda Levete and the London firm AL_A, is a museum open to the outside world located on the banks of the Tagus in Belém, Lisbon. The public space takes on the same prominence as the galleries themselves and the MAAT incorporates more than 7000 m² of new public space.
The exhibition spaces are conceived as an extension of the public sphere, with a stream of interconnected places for experiences and interactions at the intersection of the three disciplines.
More information
ÁLVARO SIZA VIEIRA
Álvaro Joaquim Melo Siza Vieira was born in Matosinhos (near Porto), in 1933. From 1949-55 he studied at the School of Architecture, University of Porto. His first built project was finished in 1954. From 1955-58 he was collaborator of Arch. Fernando Távora. He taught at the School of Architecture (ESBAP) from 1966-69 and was appointed Professor of "Construction" in 1976. He was a Visiting Professor at the Ècole Polythéchnique of Lausanne, the University of Pennsylvania, Los Andes University of Bogotá and the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University; he taught at the School of Architecture of Porto (jubilate in 2003).
He is the author of many projects such as: the Boa Nova Tea House and Restaurant; 1200 dwellings built in Malagueira, Évora; the Superior School of Education in Setúbal, the new School of Architecture in Porto; the Library of Aveiro University; the Museum of Modern Art in Porto; the Church and Parochial Centre in Marco de Canavezes; the Pavilion of Portugal for EXPO '98 and the Pavilion of Portugal in Hannover 2000 (with Souto de Moura); the dwelling and offices complex of “Terraços de Bragança” in Lisbon; and he has rebuilt the burnt area of Chiado in Lisbon since 1988, including the projects for some buildings like Castro e Melo, Grandella, Chiado Stores, and others.
He has been coordinated the plan of Schilderswijk's recuperation in The Hague, Holland, since 1985, which finished in 89; in 1995 he finished the project for blocs 6-7-8 in Ceramique Terrein, Maastricht.
In Spain he has completed the projects for the Meteorological Centre of Villa Olimpica in Barcelona; the Museum of Contemporary Art of Galicia and the Faculty of Information Sciences in Santiago de Compostela; the Rectorate of the Alicante University; Zaida building – offices, commercial and dwelling complex in Granada; Sportive Complex Cornellà de L’lobregat in Barcelona.
Cultural Centre and auditorium for the Ibere Camargo Foundation in Brazil; Municipal Centre of Rosario in Argentina; lodging-house in the Plan of Recuperation and Transformation of Cidade Velha in Cap Vert; Serpentine Pavillion (2005) with Eduardo Souto Moura; Museum of Modern Art of Naples in Italy; Anyang Pavilion in South Korea (with Carlos Castanheira); Mimesis Museum in South Korea (with Carlos Castanheira); are to be mentioned.
He has participated in several lectures and conferences in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Norway, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, England, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Canada, United States, Romania, Greece, South Korea and Sweden.
Having been invited to participate in international competitions, he won the first place in Schlesisches Tor, Kreuzberg, Berlin (now built), at the recuperation of Campo di Marte in Venice (1985) and at the renewal of Casino and Café Winkler, Salzburg (1986); Cultural Centre for the La Defensa, Madrid (with José Paulo Santos) (1988/89); J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, California (with Peter Testa) (1993); Pietà Rondanini Room, Sforzesco Castell, Milan (1999); Special Plan Recoletos-Prado, Madrid (with Juan Miguel Hernandez Leon e Carlos Riaño) (2002); Toledo Hospital (Sánchez-Horneros office) (2003); “Atrio de la Alhambra” in Spain (with Juan Domingo Santos)(2010); “Parco delle Cave”, Lecce in Italy (with Carlos Castanheira) (2010).
He has participated in the competitions for Expo 92 in Sevilla, Spain (with Eduardo Souto de Moura and Adalberto Dias) (1986); for "Un Progetto per Siena", Italy (with José Paulo Santos) (1988); the Cultural Centre La Defensa in Madrid, Spain (1988/89); the Bibliothèque of France in Paris (1989/90), the Helsinki Museum (with Souto de Moura) (1992-93); Flamenco City of Xerez de la Frontera, Spain (with Juan Miguel Hernandez Leon) (2003).
From 1982 to 2010 has won many different awards and have been assigned with Medals of Cultural Merit from many country around the world. Doctor "Honoris Causa" in various European and International universities.
He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science; "Honorary Fellow" of the Royal Institute of British Architects; AIA/American Institute of Architects; Académie d'Architecture de France and European Academy of Sciences and Arts; Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts; IAA/International Academy of Architecture; American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Carlos Castanheira
Carlos Castanheira was born in Lisbon in June 1957. Graduated in Architecture from the Porto School of Fine Arts (1976-1981), he lived in Amsterdam from 1981 to 1990, where he worked as an architect and studied at the Academie Voor Bouwkunst Van Amsterdam.
In 1993 he founded the studio Carlos Castanheira & Clara Bastai, Arquitectos Lda. with Architect Maria Clara Bastai. Working mainly in the private sector, she has served as a jury in competition panels, participated in conferences, participated in the creation of architectural education courses and workshops, curated and organized exhibitions, and edited and published books and catalogues.
Since he was a student he has collaborated with the architect Álvaro Siza in several projects in Portugal but, above all, abroad.
In 1993 he founded the studio Carlos Castanheira & Clara Bastai, Arquitectos Lda. with Architect Maria Clara Bastai. Working mainly in the private sector, she has served as a jury in competition panels, participated in conferences, participated in the creation of architectural education courses and workshops, curated and organized exhibitions, and edited and published books and catalogues.
Since he was a student he has collaborated with the architect Álvaro Siza in several projects in Portugal but, above all, abroad.
2005.– National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AIMMP with the project “Avenal House,” Ul Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal.
2011.– National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AFN/MA with project “Adpropeixe House”, Terras do Bouro, Gerês, Portugal.
2011.– Honorable Mention in National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AFN/MA with the project “Casa da Torre Winery”, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal.
2015.– Best Wine of Tourism – Regional winner in category of Architecture and Landscape with project “Quinta da Faísca Winery”, Favaios, Alijó, Portugal.
2015.– Awarded by the Internacional Archdaily in the category: “Office building of the year 2015”, with the “Building on the Water- Shihlien Chemical”, with Architect Alvaro Siza, Jiangsu, China.
2015.– Awarded with an Honorable Mention in National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AFN/MA with Project “Equestrian Center,” Leça da Palmeira. Portugal.
2016.– Selected for the Archmarathon Awards with Álvaro Siza, with the project “Building on the Water- Shihlien Chemical”, Jiangsu, China.
2016.– One of the seven finalists projects , in Prizes of the Archdaily Platform, in the category of “Sport Building”, with the “Equestrian Center” in, Cabo do Mundo, Leça da Palmeira, Matosinhos.
2017.– Valmor Municipal Architecture Prize, from Lisbon City Council, with Architect Álvaro Siza with the project “Chiado Public Space.Carmo Connection”, Lisbon, concerning to the year of 2015, best project.
2011.– National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AFN/MA with project “Adpropeixe House”, Terras do Bouro, Gerês, Portugal.
2011.– Honorable Mention in National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AFN/MA with the project “Casa da Torre Winery”, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal.
2015.– Best Wine of Tourism – Regional winner in category of Architecture and Landscape with project “Quinta da Faísca Winery”, Favaios, Alijó, Portugal.
2015.– Awarded by the Internacional Archdaily in the category: “Office building of the year 2015”, with the “Building on the Water- Shihlien Chemical”, with Architect Alvaro Siza, Jiangsu, China.
2015.– Awarded with an Honorable Mention in National Prize for Architecture in Timber – AFN/MA with Project “Equestrian Center,” Leça da Palmeira. Portugal.
2016.– Selected for the Archmarathon Awards with Álvaro Siza, with the project “Building on the Water- Shihlien Chemical”, Jiangsu, China.
2016.– One of the seven finalists projects , in Prizes of the Archdaily Platform, in the category of “Sport Building”, with the “Equestrian Center” in, Cabo do Mundo, Leça da Palmeira, Matosinhos.
2017.– Valmor Municipal Architecture Prize, from Lisbon City Council, with Architect Álvaro Siza with the project “Chiado Public Space.Carmo Connection”, Lisbon, concerning to the year of 2015, best project.
RENZO PIANO
Renzo Piano was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1937 to a family of builders. He graduated Milan Polytechnic in 1964 and began to work with experimental light-weight structures and basic shelters. In 1971, he founded the Piano & Rogers studio and, together with Richard Rogers, won the competition for the Centre Pompidou in Paris. From the early 1970s to the 1990s, Piano collaborated with engineer Peter Rice, founding Atelier Piano & Rice in 1977. In 1981, he established the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, with offices today in Genoa, Paris and New York. Renzo Piano has been awarded the highest honors in architecture, including; the Pritzker Prize; RIBA Royal Gold Medal; Medaille d’Or, UIA; Erasmus Prize; and most recently, the Gold Medal of the AIA.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop. RPBW
The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) was established in 1981 by Renzo Piano with offices in Genoa, Italy and Paris, France. The practice has since expanded and now also operates from New York.
RPBW is led by 10 partners, including founder and Pritzker Prize laureate, architect Renzo Piano.
The practice permanently employs about 130 architects together with a further 30 support staff including 3D visualization artists, model makers, archivers, administrative and secretarial staff.
Their staff has a wide experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams on building projects in France, Italy and abroad.
As architects, they are involved in the projects from start to finish. They usually provide full architectural design services and consultancy services during the construction phase. Their design skills extend beyond mere architectural services. Their work also includes interior design services, town planning and urban design services, landscape design services and exhibition design services.
RPBW has successfully undertaken and completed over 140 projects around the world.
Currently, among the main projects in progress are: the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles; the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay; the Paddington Square in London and; the Toronto Courthouse.
Major projects already completed include: the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas; the Kanak Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia; the Kansaï International Airport Terminal Building in Osaka; the Beyeler Foundation Museum in Basel; the reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz area in Berlin; the Rome Auditorium; the New York Times Building in New York; the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco; the Chicago Art Institute expansion in Chicago, Illinois; The Shard in London; Columbia University’s Manhattanville development project in New York City; the Harvard museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Intesa Sanpaolo office building in Turin, Italy; the Kimbell Art Museum expansion in Texas; the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Valletta City Gate in Malta; the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Athens; the Centro Botín in Santander; the New Paris Courthouse and others throughout the world.
Exhibitions of Renzo Piano and RPBW’s works have been held in many cities worldwide, including at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2018.
RPBW is led by 10 partners, including founder and Pritzker Prize laureate, architect Renzo Piano.
The practice permanently employs about 130 architects together with a further 30 support staff including 3D visualization artists, model makers, archivers, administrative and secretarial staff.
Their staff has a wide experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams on building projects in France, Italy and abroad.
As architects, they are involved in the projects from start to finish. They usually provide full architectural design services and consultancy services during the construction phase. Their design skills extend beyond mere architectural services. Their work also includes interior design services, town planning and urban design services, landscape design services and exhibition design services.
RPBW has successfully undertaken and completed over 140 projects around the world.
Currently, among the main projects in progress are: the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles; the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay; the Paddington Square in London and; the Toronto Courthouse.
Major projects already completed include: the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas; the Kanak Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia; the Kansaï International Airport Terminal Building in Osaka; the Beyeler Foundation Museum in Basel; the reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz area in Berlin; the Rome Auditorium; the New York Times Building in New York; the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco; the Chicago Art Institute expansion in Chicago, Illinois; The Shard in London; Columbia University’s Manhattanville development project in New York City; the Harvard museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Intesa Sanpaolo office building in Turin, Italy; the Kimbell Art Museum expansion in Texas; the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Valletta City Gate in Malta; the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Athens; the Centro Botín in Santander; the New Paris Courthouse and others throughout the world.
Exhibitions of Renzo Piano and RPBW’s works have been held in many cities worldwide, including at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2018.
David Chipperfield
David Chipperfield was born in London in 1953 and studied architecture at the Kingston School of Art and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London before working at the practices of Douglas Stephen, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.
In 1985 he founded David Chipperfield Architects, which today has over 300 staff at its offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai.
David Chipperfield has taught and held conferences in Europe and the United States and has received honorary degrees from the universities of Kingston and Kent.
He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and an honorary fellow of both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA). In 2009 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and in 2010 he received a knighthood for services to architecture in the UK and Germany. In 2011 he received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture and in 2013 the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association, while in 2021 he was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in recognition of a lifetime’s work.
In 2012 he curated the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP SOM
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment.
The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,700 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.
BJARKE INGELS
Bjarke Ingels (born in Copenhagen, 1974) studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen and at the School of Architecture of Barcelona, obtaining his degree as an architect in 1998. He is the founder of the BIG architecture studio - (Bjarke Ingels Group), studio founded in 2005, after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 with his former partner Julien de Smedt, whom he met while working at the prestigious OMA studio in Rotterdam.
Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings worldwide, and currently his studio is based with venues in Copenhagen and New York. His projects include The Mountain, a residential complex in Copenhagen, and the innovative Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore.
With the PLOT study, he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004, and with BIG he has received numerous awards such as the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009. Other prizes are the Culture Prize of the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2011; and Along with his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen.
In 2018, Bjarke received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog granted by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to give lectures at places such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street or the World Economic Forum. In 2018, Bjarke was appointed Chief Architectural Advisor by WeWork to advise and develop the design vision and language of the company for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods around the world.
Carmody Groarke
Carmody Groarke is a London-based architectural practice founded in 2006 by Kevin Carmody and Andy Groarke. The practice has developed a reputation for working internationally on a wide range of arts, cultural, heritage and residential projects.
Carmody Groarke have designed critically acclaimed buildings including Windermere Jetty Museum, the V&A Members’ Room and Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre Clatterbridge. The studio has designed projects for clients including artist Antony Gormley, British Land and the Royal Academy of Arts.
Current projects include a Temporary Museum for Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House, housing in Milan and a new international arts venue at Park Hill, Sheffield.
The practice has earned international recognition, winning several architectural competitions and awards for completed projects. Two monographs of the practice’ work have been published by the world renowned El Croquis and 2G.
Carmody Groarke have designed critically acclaimed buildings including Windermere Jetty Museum, the V&A Members’ Room and Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre Clatterbridge. The studio has designed projects for clients including artist Antony Gormley, British Land and the Royal Academy of Arts.
Current projects include a Temporary Museum for Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House, housing in Milan and a new international arts venue at Park Hill, Sheffield.
The practice has earned international recognition, winning several architectural competitions and awards for completed projects. Two monographs of the practice’ work have been published by the world renowned El Croquis and 2G.
JEAN NOUVEL
Jean Nouvel, (born August 12, 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of Mars 1976 and Syndicat de l'Architecture. He has obtained a number of prestigious distinctions over the course of his career, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (technically, the prize was awarded for the Institut du Monde Arabe which Nouvel designed), the Wolf Prize in Arts in 2005 and the Pritzker Prize in 2008.
Nouvel was awarded the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour, in 2008, for his work on more than 200 projects, among them, in the words of The New York Times, the "exotically louvered" Arab World Institute, the bullet-shaped and "candy-colored" Torre Agbar in Barcelona, the "muscular" Guthrie Theater with its cantilevered bridge in Minneapolis, and in Paris, the "defiant, mysterious and wildly eccentric" Musée du quai Branly (2006) and the Philharmonie de Paris (a "trip into the unknown" c. 2012).
Pritzker points to several more major works: in Europe, the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art (1994), the Culture and Convention Center in Lucerne (2000), the Opéra Nouvel in Lyon (1993) , Expo 2002 in Switzerland and, under construction, the Copenhagen Concert Hall and the courthouse in Nantes (2000); as well as two tall towers in planning in North America, Tour Verre in New York City and a cancelled condominium tower in Los Angeles. International cultural projects such as the Abu Dhabi Louvre, the Philharmonic Hall in Paris, the Qatar National Museum in Doha, or the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010 in London.
In its citation, the jury of the Pritzker prize noted:
Of the many phrases that might be used to describe the career of architect Jean Nouvel, foremost are those that emphasize his courageous pursuit of new ideas and his challenge of accepted norms in order to stretch the boundaries of the field. [...] The jury acknowledged the ‘persistence, imagination, exuberance, and, above all, an insatiable urge for creative experimentation’ as qualities abundant in Nouvel’s work.
Among his principal completed projects, we find the Arab World Institute in Paris, the Cartier Foundation and the Quai Branly museum in Paris, the Culture and Congress Center KKL in Lucerne, the extension of the Queen Sofia Arts Center in Madrid, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Philharmonic of Paris…
Among the projects currently under studies or under construction: the “53W53, Tour de Verre” integrating the extension of the MoMA galleries in New York, the residential towers “Le Nouvel” in Kuala Lumpur, “Anderson 18” and “Ardmore” in Singapore and “Rosewood” in São Paulo, the office towers “Hekla” and “Duo” in Paris, the cultural complex “The Artists’ Garden” in Qingdao or the National Art Museum of China NAMOC in Beijing… The design of the Louvre Abu Dhabi began in 2006 with Jean Nouvel’s Partner Architect Hala Wardé.
Huang Wenjing, Li Hu. OPEN ARCHITECTURE
OPEN Architecture is a team of international architects and designers, with collaborators across different disciplines to practice urbanism, architecture, interior and the production of strategies in the context of new challenges of our time. It was founded by Li Hu and Huang Wenjing in New York City. It established the Beijing office in 2006.
OPEN believes that research and collaboration are the foundation for design and creation. In recent years, OPEN’s research has focused on the social and environmental problems associated with the unprecedented speed of urban development in Asian countries, especially China. This research has enabled OPEN’s practice to be deeply rooted in the social and economic context of our time. While remaining idealistic and persistent, OPEN’s practice directly deals with the problems and challenges of our time and strives to create architecture and urban spaces that establish a new relationship with nature and society. OPEN collaborates with experts from different disciplines for architecture to broaden and enrich the potential of each unique project. OPEN has also built up expertise in sustainability and collaborative working relationships with some of the leading engineers and institutions in the field.
Li Hu was a partner at Steven Holl Architects, before focusing on the practice at OPEN. He founded and led SHA’s Beijing office, and was the partner-in-charge for the firm’s many award-winning projects in Asia. Since 2009, Li has become the director of Columbia University GSAPP’s Studio-X Beijing.
Huang Wenjing was a senior designer and associate at Pei Cobb Freed and Partners Architects prior to founding OPEN. Besides practice, she was also a visiting assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong. She taught part-time at Tsinghua University in Beijing as well.
KENGO KUMA
Kengo Kuma was born in Yokohama (Kanagawa, Japan) in 1954. He studied architecture at the University of Tokyo, finishing his degree in 1979. In 1987, he opened the "Spatial Design Studio". In 1990 he founded "Kengo Kuma & Associates" and extend the study to Europe (Paris, France) in 2008. Since 1985 and until 2009, has taught as visiting professor and holder at the universities of Columbia, Keio, Illinois and Tokyo.
Main Awards:
· 2011 The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for "Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum."
· 2010 Mainichi Art Award for “Nezu Museum.”
· 2009 "Decoration Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (France).
· 2008 Energy Performance + Architecture Award (France). Bois Magazine International Wood Architecture Award (France).
· 2002 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award (Finland).
· 2001 Togo Murano Award for “Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum.”
· 1997 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for “Noh Stage in the Forest”. First Place, AIA DuPONT Benedictus Award for “Water/Glass” (USA).
Amanda Levete
Amanda Levete is a Stirling Prize winning architect and founder and principal of AL_A. She trained at the Architectural Association and worked for Richard Rogers before joining Future Systems as a partner in 1989, where she realised groundbreaking buildings including the Media Centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground and Selfridges department store in Birmingham. Amanda is a trustee of leading social innovation centre the Young Foundation and has served as a trustee of influential arts organisation Artangel for over a decade. She is a regular radio and TV broadcaster, writes for a number of publications, including the New Statesman and Prospect, and lectures worldwide.
Categories
Our selection
