Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain announced plans to move into a historic building in Place du Palais-Royal in Paris. Originally built in 1855, the Haussmannian building will be reimagined by architect Jean Nouvel and is scheduled to open in 2025. The collaboration between Fondation Cartier and Jean Nouvel dates back to 1994 when the architect designed the "Parisian Monument," a glass and steel building on Boulevard Raspail that serves as the institution's current headquarters.
museum: The Latest Architecture and News
Fondation Cartier Reveals Plans to Move into a Historic Landmark in Paris Reimagined by Jean Nouvel
Caruso St John Architects Wins Competition to Renovate Philip Johnson’s Kunsthalle Bielefeld
Following an international competition, Caruso St John Architects has been appointed to renovate the iconic Kunsthalle Bielefeld in Northwest Germany. Designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1968, the structure is Johnson’s only museum in Europe. Despite past maintenance efforts, the building remains largely unchanged from its original state. The renovation aims to modernize the museum’s services, exterior, and interior spaces.
David Kohn Architects and noAarchitecten Win Competition to Redesign the SMAK Museum in Ghent, Belgium
The team comprised of David Kohn Architects, noA Architecten, and Asli Çiçek has won the international competition for the redesign of SMAK, the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent, Belgium. The project includes the reconfiguration of the museum grounds and the extension of a cluster of historic buildings in the center of the city. Established in 1999, the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst aims to redefine its relationship with the city and to create more appropriate space for the design of its extensive contemporary art collection.
OMA/Shohei Shigematsu Designs Ethereal Miss Dior Exhibition in Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum
This June, the Roppongi Museum in Tokyo is hosting an exhibition titled "Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss.” Designed by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu, the display presents the 78-year legacy of the renowned Miss Dior perfume, which was launched alongside Dior's revolutionary "The New Look" in 1946. Organized as a journey through seven rooms, the exhibition design features not only the perfume and related memorabilia but also explores the various inspirations and collaborations that have shaped its cultural significance.
Powerhouse Sydney Reveals Heritage Restoration Plans for Australia’s Largest Museum Institution
Powerhouse, Australia’s largest museum institution dedicated to applied arts design, and technology, has revealed the plans for a comprehensive restoration of its three sites located in Sydney, Australia, in addition to the opening of a new site in Parramatta in Western Sydney in 2025. The Powerhouse Ultimo site contains two heritage-listed buildings: the Ultimo Powerhouse and the Ultimo Post Office. The project for the renovation of this heritage location is led by a team of architects, Durbach Block Jaggers working in partnership with Architectus, Youssofzay + Hart, and landscape architects, Tyrell Studio.
Diamond Schmitt Architects Reveals Design for the New Brunswick Museum in Canada
Diamond Schmitt Architects, together with Associate Architect EXP, has unveiled the design for the New Brunswick Museum (NBM). Envisioned as an extension of Canada’s oldest museum, the new wing will expand the museum’s spaces for research and exhibitions while maintaining a minimum carbon footprint. The intervention is located on the historic Saint John site, taking advantage of the unique location by opening up views towards both the urban center and the Harbor of Saint John.
BIG Designs Cantilevered Towers Surrounding the Freedom Plaza on Manhattan’s Waterfront
Located along Manhattan’s East River waterfront, the Freedom Plaza sets out to create a new civic and cultural hub, introducing a new open and green space in the crowded area, with plans to add an in-park Museum of Freedom and Democracy. Additionally, the scheme designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group includes affordable housing units, two hotels, retail, and restaurants. Developed by Soloviev Group and Mohegan, the Freedom Plaza development reimagines one of the largest undeveloped plots in Manhattan, measuring 6.7 acres located south of the United Nations headquarters in the Midtown East neighborhood.
Herzog & de Meuron Reveals Design for Lusail Art Museum in Qatar
Qatar Museums has released renderings showcasing the future Lusail Museum, designed by Swiss architecture office Herzog & de Meuron. The museum will house one of the largest collections of Orientalist art, exploring the movement of people and ideas across the globe and over the centuries. The new institution also strives to provide opportunities for high-level study for scholars, academics, policymakers, and curators. Consequently, the building is conceived as “a vertically layered souk, or miniature city contained within a single building,” aiming to encourage conversations, debates, and meditation on global issues.
Herzog & de Meuron Win Competition for Seoripul, an Open Art Storage Facility in Seoul, South Korea
Herzog & de Meuron has revealed the design for the Seoripul Open Art Storage, a collective archive space that will serve three museums in Seoul: the Seoul Museum of Art, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, and the Seoul Museum of History. Going beyond the archive program, the proposal aims to open up the building to visitors, transforming the art storage into a dynamic civic space. Located on the Eastern Border of Seoripul Park, the building is characterized by a pyramidal glass structure set in a garden that functions as a secluded outdoor space for Archive/Museum visitors.
Studio Libeskind Reveals Design for the Memorial at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh
Studio Libeskind, working in close partnership with the Memorialization Working Group, has unveiled the preliminary design for the memorial for the 11 killed on 27 October 2018 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, United States. The design was developed in a process led by the victims’ families, communal leaders, and concretional representatives. The building’s official groundbreaking is expected in 2024.
Elevating Contemporary Exhibition Design with Sliding Glass Panel Systems
Some of the most memorable and moving exhibitions are the ones that simplify their staging, illuminating objects and narratives while pulling focus from everything else. A stark but meticulous –and above all modern– presentation is the goal of the museum curator. The process of installation shouldn’t be laborious. The fingerprint of the architect shouldn’t be visible. The eye of the visitor wants to see unbroken silhouettes of couture garments, archaeological treasures, and sculptures. Exhibitions tell stories, and the design of each show is the medium. The presentation must be crisp, clear, and light. A sense of perfection elevates the uniqueness of a collection of objects; barely apparent joins, lines and an overall feeling of transparency make that achievable.
MAD Architects’ Museum of Migration in Rotterdam is Scheduled to Open in 2025
Designed by MAD Architects, the FENIX Museum of Migration is set to be inaugurated in 2025 in Rotterdam’s City Harbor. The purpose of the institution is to showcase and highlight the stories of global migration through encounters with art, architecture, photography, and history. The museum broke ground in 2020 when the first images of the proposal were also released. MAD Architects is working with Bureau Polderman for the restoration of the historic warehouse dating back to 1932, which now represents the base and starting point for the museum experience.
CRAB Studio Reveals Design for the BRIJ Cultural Centre Project in New Delhi, India
Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham’s CRAB Studio has unveiled the design for a new cultural center to be constructed in New Delhi, India. Located on the site of a former quartzite quarry, the BRIJ offers facilities for the visual, performing, literary, and culinary arts as well as a new arts academy. The scheme, aiming to promote interactions between artists and audiences via an immersive environment, is designed by CRAB Studio, now led by Gavin Robotham, and CP Kukreja Architects (CPKA) as Executive Architect.
Perkins&Will Wins Competition for the Design of Smithsonian’s Bezos Learning Center in Washington D.C.
The Smithsonian Institution selected Perkins&Will to design the Bezos Learning Center at the National Air and Space Museum in located on the prominent National Mall in Washington D.C. Perkins&Will was one of the five shortlisted finalists for the competition. According to the Smithsonian, the selection was based on the architects’ ample experience in designing cultural and educational spaces, the reliability of their management team and the team’s aesthetic approach.
Bez+Kock Architekten and Koeber Landschaftsarchitektur Win First Prize in International Competition for Carthage Museum
Bez+Kock Architekten and Koeber Landschaftsarchitektur have won the competition for the Requalification of the Acropole of Byrsa and Rehabilitation of the National Museum of Carthage in Tunis project. An international jury, led by Alberto Veiga of Barozzi Veiga in Barcelona, has awarded the first prize to the studios based in Stuttgart, Germany, out of 94 design submissions for the competition.