Designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop of Genoa/Paris/New York and Kendall/Heaton Associates of Houston, the highly anticipated expansion of the Kimbell Art Museum opens on Wednesday, November 27, 2013.
The $135 million, 101,130-square-foot colonnaded pavilion by Renzo Piano stands as an expression of simplicity and lightness—glass, concrete and wood—65 yards to the west of the signature cycloid-vaulted museum of 1972 by Louis I. Kahn.
Glimpsed from the portico of the Kahn Building, the highly energy-efficient two-part structure gives the impression of weightlessness: its recessed glass entrance is centered between crisp concrete walls; a wafer-thin layer of glass hovers over its louvered roof system; and enormous overhanging wood beams appear to float above the exterior walls.
Appearing for the first time in a Renzo Piano–designed building are galleries with smooth concrete walls and coupled wood ceiling beams. Twenty-nine pairs of these 100-foot-long Douglas Fir beams extend throughout the whole length of the front or east wing—jutting through the south gallery, entry lobby, and north gallery before coming to rest on exterior concrete columns. This wood beam structure supports the louvered roof system that controls the flow of sunlight into the building.
Two glazed outdoor walkways connect the simply expressed and luminous east wing with the rearmost building section, which is sheltered beneath a green roof. Here, a gallery designed for light-sensitive works is set partially underground and walled in lustrous concrete, its only window offering a dramatic view up a stepped ascent.
The pavilion's greatest surprise lies in the west wing: an auditorium with bright-red, raked seating plunges below ground to the stage, which is set against the backdrop of a deep and broad light well animated by shifting patterns of natural illumination.
Eric M. Lee, director of the Kimbell, noted: "In its marshaling of light and materials, human scale, and tripartite plan and elevation, the Piano Pavilion provides a 21st-century counterpoint to Kahn's classic modern masterwork."
View from the southwest at night, Renzo Piano Pavilion, October 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert LaPrelle
South view, Renzo Piano Pavilion and Louis Kahn Building, October 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert LaPrelle
Interior view of south gallery, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Interior view of south gallery, looking out to the lawn, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Roof detail, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Detail of concrete gallery wall, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Auditorium, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Auditorium, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Auditorium, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Detail of roof and beam system, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
View of facade looking south, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
View of facade looking south, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
View of facade looking south, Renzo Piano Pavilion, September 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
South gallery, Renzo Piano Pavilion, October 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
View from south gallery looking north, Renzo Piano Pavilion, October 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
South gallery, Renzo Piano Pavilion, October 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Grand staircase, Renzo Piano Pavilion, October 2013. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Robert Polidori
Piano Building sketch, 2008. © Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Renzo Piano on the west portico of the Kahn Building, 2008. Photo by Robert LaPrelle. © Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Related Stories
| May 15, 2012
Suffolk selected for Rosenwald Elementary modernization project
The 314-student station elementary school will undergo extensive modernization.
| May 15, 2012
Don’t be insulated from green building
Examining the roles of insulation and manufacturing in sustainability’s growth.
| May 15, 2012
National Tradesmen Day set for Sept. 21
IRWIN Tools invites the nation to honor "The Real Working Hands that Build America and Keep it Running Strong".
| May 15, 2012
SAGE Electrochromics to become wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain
This deal will help SAGE expand into international markets, develop new products and complete construction of the company’s new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Faribault, Minn.
| May 14, 2012
Codes harvest rainwater
IAPMO’s Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement could make rainwater harvesting systems commonplace by clearly outlining safe installation and maintenance practices.
| May 14, 2012
Plumbing research coalition to study drainline transport issue
The effort is aimed at determining if decreasing levels of water flow––caused by increasingly efficient plumbing fixtures––are sufficient to clear debris from plumbing pipes.
| May 14, 2012
SOM to break ground on supertall structure in China
The 1,740-feet (530-meter) tall tower will house offices, 300 service apartments and a 350-room, 5-star hotel beneath an arched top.
| May 14, 2012
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture design Seoul’s Dancing Dragons
Supertall two-tower complex located in Seoul’s Yongsan International Business District.
| May 14, 2012
SMPS and Deltek announce alliance
A/E/C industry leaders partner to advance technology’s role in design firm marketing and business development.
| May 14, 2012
ArchiCAD e-Specs integration unveiled
Architects, engineers and construction professionals use InterSpec’s e-SPECS products on thousands of projects annually to maintain synchronization between construction models, drawings, and project specifications.
