The Menil Collection in Houston will add a new building to its impressive fleet, which already includes the main Renzo Piano building, the Cy Twombly Gallery, a site-specific installation by Donald Judd, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, and the Rothko Chapel. The latest addition, the Menil Drawing Institute, will be dedicated to the exhibition, study, storage, and conservation of modern and contemporary drawings. The new building is designed by Los Angeles-based Johnston Marklee and will feature a landscape by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The scheme is the first part of a long-term expansion of the Menil, a 30-acre enclave that has expanded and merged with the surrounding neighborhood. Images courtesy of Menil Collection. The key factor of the new MDI building is the modulation of daylight. Drawings on paper require specific lighting conditions so they do not deteriorate. The design features a roof made from painted steel plate that allows indirect daylight—but not UV rays—to stream inside. This natural lighting scheme is similar to Piano's design for the Menil's main galleries, where "leaf-like" concrete modular elements mediate and filter light. Image courtesy Menil Collection. It is not the first ...
The Menil Collection in Houston will add a new building to its impressive fleet, which already includes the main Renzo Piano building, the Cy Twombly Gallery, a site-specific installation by Donald Judd, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, and the Rothko Chapel. The latest addition, the Menil Drawing Institute, will be dedicated to the exhibition, study, storage, and conservation of modern and contemporary drawings. The new building is designed by Los Angeles-based Johnston Marklee and will feature a landscape by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The scheme is the first part of a long-term expansion of the Menil, a 30-acre enclave that has expanded and merged with the surrounding neighborhood. Images courtesy of Menil Collection. The key factor of the new MDI building is the modulation of daylight. Drawings on paper require specific lighting conditions so they do not deteriorate. The design features a roof made from painted steel plate that allows indirect daylight—but not UV rays—to stream inside. This natural lighting scheme is similar to Piano's design for the Menil's main galleries, where "leaf-like" concrete modular elements mediate and filter light. Image courtesy Menil Collection. It is not the first ...