Eli Broad, an American philanthropist, is getting ready to design the newest home for his extensive art collection. For his latest museum project, on the corner of Grand Avenue and 2nd Street in Los Angeles, Broad invited six of the professions’ leading minds to compete. Resting across the street from Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and Arata Isozaki’s 1986 Museum of Contemporary Art, Broad’s museum with include approximately 40,000 square feet of top-floor exhibition space, along with offices for the Broad Art Foundation.
Out of the six participants, four have been awarded the Pritzker: Rem Koolhaas, Herzog and de Meuron, Christian de Portzamparc, and the newest laureates, Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima. The remaining two firms that are involved include Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Foreign Office Architects.
The sampling of firms is quite varied, and “there is little that ties together the work of the firms invited to take part in the competition”. The firms have designed museums internationally, but their attitudes about form, space and material are diverse. The firms also emphasize different aspects of architecture, whether it be elaborate skins, or strong theoretical underpinnings, so, there is no question that the proposals offered a true selection.
It seems Broad has narrowed the list to two: Koolhaas and DS + R. Although Broad wants to move forward quickly with the museum, he still needs site approvals. Broad explained, “We look forward to making a decision on both the site and the architect later this spring.”
Source: Christopher Hawthorne for the LA Times
