diller scofidio + renfro: broad art foundation

'the broad art foundation' bydiller scofidio + renfro in los angeles, california
all images courtesy the broad art foundation


philanthropists eli and edyth broad and architect elizabeth diller of internationally
renowned firm diller scofidio + renfro has unveiled the design of 'the broad art foundation',
a new contemporary art museum in downtown los angeles. located across the street from
walt disney concert hall and the museum of contemporary art, the three-storey project features
a honeycomb-like 'veil' that asymmetrically wraps the surface of the building,
resulting in a filtered effect for the interior gallery space.



public lobby along grand avenue


the public entry off of grand avenue is led into the museum by a lift in the veil,
exposing a fully glazed base set in contrast to the opaque mass of the foundation's
archive and storage. unlike traditional museum designs, the latter plays a dominant
role in the visitor's experience: hovering midway in the building, its carved underbelly
shapes the form of the lobby while its top surface serves as the floor of the exhibition space.



column-free, sky-lit gallery


allowing filtered natural daylight into the top floor exhibition space, the three-dimensional
veil is a cellular exoskeleton structure that envelops the museum on all sides.
in addition to almost an acre of column-free gallery space, the museum hosts a lecture hall
for up to 200 people, a ground floor multimedia gallery and a public lobby with
display space and a museum shop.






rendering of the 'veil'



exploded rendering of major design components