The renovation of the museum in Los Angeles by Peter Zumthor
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) was founded in 1961 and is today one of the largest museums in the western United States, with over 100,000 art objects and a million visitors annually.
The original building was designed in 1965 on the recommendation of Mies van der Rohe by local architect William Pereira. In the 1980s, during an enormous increase in art collections, the museum was expanded by the New York office of Hardy Holzmann Pfeiffer. In 2000, a design competition was held to reconstruct the museum and help it transition to the 21st century. At that time, the project by Rem Koolhaas won, but his radical idea of a unified roof was not realized due to excessive costs. Instead, Renzo Piano was approached to add an additional pavilion to the museum complex in 2010, featuring an exhibition area of 4,200 m².
Now, the project by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been presented, who decided to demolish the historic structure from the 1960s along with its later extension, leaving only the pool beneath which the current museum hovers. Zumthor's organic design, developed over many years in close collaboration with LACMA director Michael Govan, was unveiled to the public in early June. The museum features a wavy horizontal strip that floats above the landscape and is supported only at a few points. Its indefinite shape best matches the image of Los Angeles and the local lifestyle. The museum occupies the entire plot while keeping it as publicly accessible as possible. Beneath the structure, there are trees, water surfaces, and pleasant shade, which will create a sought-after oasis in the heated climate.
Until mid-September, LACMA is hosting the exhibition 'The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA', which showcases not only Zumthor's current project but also the unrealized plans of Rem Koolhaas and Renzo Piano.
More information >
The original building was designed in 1965 on the recommendation of Mies van der Rohe by local architect William Pereira. In the 1980s, during an enormous increase in art collections, the museum was expanded by the New York office of Hardy Holzmann Pfeiffer. In 2000, a design competition was held to reconstruct the museum and help it transition to the 21st century. At that time, the project by Rem Koolhaas won, but his radical idea of a unified roof was not realized due to excessive costs. Instead, Renzo Piano was approached to add an additional pavilion to the museum complex in 2010, featuring an exhibition area of 4,200 m².
Now, the project by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been presented, who decided to demolish the historic structure from the 1960s along with its later extension, leaving only the pool beneath which the current museum hovers. Zumthor's organic design, developed over many years in close collaboration with LACMA director Michael Govan, was unveiled to the public in early June. The museum features a wavy horizontal strip that floats above the landscape and is supported only at a few points. Its indefinite shape best matches the image of Los Angeles and the local lifestyle. The museum occupies the entire plot while keeping it as publicly accessible as possible. Beneath the structure, there are trees, water surfaces, and pleasant shade, which will create a sought-after oasis in the heated climate.
Until mid-September, LACMA is hosting the exhibition 'The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA', which showcases not only Zumthor's current project but also the unrealized plans of Rem Koolhaas and Renzo Piano.
More information >
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