renzo piano completes academy museum of motion pictures ahead of september opening

described as the world’s premier institution devoted to the art and science of movies and moviemaking, the ‘academy museum of motion pictures’ will open its doors to the public on september 30, 2021. designed by renzo piano and his firm RPBW, the 300,000 square foot (27,870 sqm) museum campus at wilshire and fairfax in los angeles comprises the renovated and expanded 1939 may company building — renamed the ‘saban building’ — and a new glass and concrete sphere with a terrace overlooking the hollywood hills.

aerial shot of the academy museum of motion pictures | image © academy museum foundation

now complete ahead of its september opening, the academy museum comprises six stories that include: more than 50,000 square feet (4,645 sqm) of immersive permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, an education studio, two state-of-the-art theaters, as well as public and special event spaces. located inside the sphere designed by RPBW, the 1,000-seat david geffen theater will offer daily screenings and major film events including previews, openings, and special presentations. in addition to being able to screen 35mm, 70mm, and digital laser projection, the theater also has nitrate capabilities.

david geffen theater exterior | image by josh white, JWPictures/© academy museum foundation

meanwhile, the more intimate 288-seat ted mann theater will offer screenings ranging from saturday morning matinees for children of all ages to a global cinema series in 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, as well as digital laser projection. both theaters will be home to an array of live performances, lectures, panels, and other events that will attract renowned film industry leaders. theaters will be equipped to present film with multidimensional sound experiences and superior screen quality.

pedestrian bridges, barbra streisand bridge and casey wasserman bridge, connecting the sphere building with the saban building | image by josh white, JWPictures/© academy museum foundation

the academy museum has actively been acquiring three-dimensional motion-picture objects since 2008. its holdings now number approximately 5,000 items representing motion picture technology, costume design, production design, makeup and hairstyling, and promotional materials. the museum will also draw from the collection of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, which contains a vast range of motion picture production and history-related objects and technology, works on paper, and still and moving images covering the history of motion pictures in the united states and throughout the world.

david geffen theater | image by iwan baan/© iwan baan studios, courtesy academy museum foundation

titled ‘stories of cinema’, a multi-story core exhibition designed by wHY architecture will be accompanied by a schedule of diverse temporary exhibitions. the inaugural temporary exhibition marks the first museum retrospective in the americas dedicated to hayao miyazaki. the exhibition will feature more than 300 objects and explores each of miyazaki’s animated feature films. visitors will travel through the filmmaker’s six-decade career through a dynamic presentation of original imageboards, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds, posters, and cels, including pieces on public view outside of japan for the first time, as well as large-scale projections of film clips and immersive environments.

ted mann theater | image by josh white, JWPictures/© academy museum foundation

located in the LAIKA gallery on the third floor of the saban building, ‘the path to cinema: highlights from the richard balzer collection’ will explore the long history of visual entertainment which led to the invention of cinema: from shadow play, peepshows, magic lanterns, zoetropes and praxinoscopes to the cinématographe lumière — the world’s first successful film projector. visitors to this exhibition will experience these inventions first-hand and take in a magic lantern show.

the dramatic, double-height ‘hurd gallery’ will debut the exhibition ‘backdrop: an invisible art’, which spotlights the iconic mount rushmore from hitchcock’s north by northwest. finally, located on the third floor in the east west bank gallery, ‘the oscars experience’ will create an immersive environment that simulates walking on stage and accepting an oscar. the museum is set to open to the public on september 30, 2021. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

dolby family terrace | image by josh white, JWPictures/© academy museum foundation

saban building | image by josh white, JWPictures/© academy museum foundation

exterior rendering © renzo piano building workshop/ © academy museum foundation/image from l’autre image

exterior rendering © renzo piano building workshop / © academy mueum foundation

cross-section © renzo piano building workshop / © academy museum foundation

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project info:

name: academy museum of motion pictures
location: 6067 wilshire boulevard, los angeles, CA 90036
public opening: september 30, 2021

design architect: renzo piano building workshop with contribution to concept design by studio pali fekete architects
executive architect: gensler, los angeles, CA
exhibition designer: wHY architecture / kulapat yantrasast, brian butterfield and jarrod beck
general contractor: MATT construction
project manager: paratus group, new york, NY
LEED consultant team: atelier ten
building conservation experts: john fidler preservation technology inc.
acoustician, audio video and projection: jaffe holden acoustics
civil engineer: KPFF consulting engineers
exhibition audio visual: electrosonic, inc.
exhibition and wayfinding graphic design: IN-FO.CO
exhibition construction: alain hirsch construction corp.
exhibition fabrication: cinnabar california, inc.
exhibition lighting: available light
façade consultant: knippers helbig
geotechnical engineer: shannon & wilson, inc.
glass fabricator: saint-gobain, steyr, austria
historic preservation: historic preservation resources group
landscape architect: LRM landscape architects
lighting design: buro happold
mechanical, electrical, plumbing: buro happold
paleontological: la brea tar pits and museum
security: layne consultants international
structural engineer: buro happold
theater design: arup
vertical transportation: HKA elevator consulting
waterproofing: simpson gumpertz & heger