LA’s Broad Museum Unveils Porous, Light-Filled Gallery

For weeks now, we've been anticipating the unveiling of the new <a href="http://broadartfoundation.org/thebroadmuseum.html?sid=55" target="_blank">Los Angeles Broad Art Foundation</a> to be located right across the street from Frank Gehry's famed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Eli Broad's new museum, designed by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/diller-scofidio-renfros-lincoln-center-grassy-remodel-opens-to-public/" target="_blank">Diller Scofidio + Renfro</a>, will serve as both an archive as well as gallery space for the 2,000 some odd pieces that make up the Broad Collection. The exterior is characterized by a porous concrete screen, nicknamed the "Veil", which will help draw <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/daylighting" target="_blank">daylight</a> in from all sides of the structure as well as the ceiling.

The Broad Art Foundation will serve as a repository for the Broad's vast collection of contemporary art work as well as a lending center.

Three stories tall, with parking underneath, the new 120,000 sq ft museum will include almost an acre of column free gallery space, in addition to a lecture hall, multimedia gallery, lobby, gift shop, espresso bar, and archive and storage space.

Nicknamed "The Vault and The Veil", the LA museum is characterized by its large archival space covered in a porous veil-like exterior.

The entire second floor serves as the archive vault, which unlike most museums, is always in view rather than relegated to the basement.

The arched and carved ceiling of the lobby serves as the floor for the vault, and the ceiling is the floor of the gallery space.

The third floor provides a large and column free gallery space that makes use of daylighting that pours through the airy exoskeleton as well as skylights.

This large space is totally flexible according to curatorial needs and has 24-foot high ceilings. The "Veil" is lifted at the corners of the building at street level, welcoming visitors inside the lobby and espresso bar.

Although not incredibly impressive on the sustainable architecture front, The Broad will certainly be an impressive piece of architecture.

Construction of the three-story underground parking garage is expected to begin this spring with completion of the entire museum by 2013.

Some criticism is already swirling about the design and especially regarding the access from the parking garage into the museum. However, there could still be time for amendments before construction begins in earnest and we hope a more energy efficient and sustainable scheme emerges.

The new museum is located on Grand Avenue across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall and adjacent to a new metro station and landscaped park area.