new renderings of MAD architects’ design for the lucas museum of narrative art have been unveiled, as construction work on the project gets underway. planned for LA’s exposition park, neighboring the memorial coliseum sports stadium, the development would add between 6-7 acres of green space with galleries housed inside a sinuous structure topped with trees and other plantation. the scheme is being built across two city-owned parking lots, taking the form of a four-story building that rises to a total height of 115 feet (35 meters).

MAD architects lucas museum
the project is planned for LA’s exposition park
image courtesy of MAD architects (also main image)

 

 

spanning a pedestrianized walkway, MAD architects’ design unites the building’s two wings on its fourth floor. the rooftop provides additional exhibition space, alongside a restaurant and a public garden landscaped by LA-based firm studio-MLA. internally, the lucas museum of narrative art intends to celebrate the power of visual storytelling through painting, illustration, photography, film, animation, and digital art.

MAD architects lucas museum
an interior rendering shows a cavernous volume with tube-like elevator shafts
image courtesy of MAD architects

 

 

‘this is an art museum, but I’m also trying to position it as an anthropological museum,’ says george lucas. ‘it is my feeling that popular art is an insight into a society and what they aspire to; what they really want, what they really are — it is about telling the narrative of their story, their history and their belief system. I believe all kinds of art have a right to exist. I think it’s important to have a museum, that I used to jokingly say, supports all the orphan arts that nobody wants to see, but everybody loves. so that’s my dream for this.’

MAD architects lucas museum
a public garden will be landscaped by LA-based firm studio-MLA
image courtesy of studio-MLA

 

 

the museum’s collection is worth at least $400 million USD and will cover art through three lenses: narrative art; the art of cinema; and digital art. donated by george lucas and mellody hobson, the expanding collection includes more than 10,000 paintings, illustrations, and movie memorabilia.

 

video documenting the site as the project begins construction

 

 

an interior rendering, the first illustrating the scheme’s inner workings, shows a cavernous volume with tube-like elevator shafts that lead to the building’s upper levels. the new external visuals portray a simplified building, which still resembles an intergalactic spaceship. construction on the project is scheduled to wrap up in late 2021, with no official date set for when the museum will open its doors to the public. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

MAD architects lucas museum
construction on the project is scheduled to wrap up in late 2021
image courtesy of MAD architects

 

 

project info:

 

name: lucas museum of narrative art
location: los angeles (final site), chicago, san francisco
dates: 2014-2021
partners: ma yansong, dang qun, yosuke hayano
competition and design team: kin li, tiffany dahlen, daniel weber, jordan kanter, daniel gillen, wu kaicong, zhao wei, flora lee, jonathan kontuly, carmen carrasco, jacob hu, satoko narishige, zhu yuhao, casey kell, matthew pugh, kazushi miyamoto, ben yuqiang, hiroki fujino, chris nolop, kek seow, younjin park, brecht van acker, andrea d’antrassi, zhang yiran, pouya goshayeshi, dora lam, victor tung, steven park chaffer, sean tan, sheenam mujoo, dookee chung, cesar d. pena del rey, valeria pestereva, wang yiqi, dmitry seregin, lin yuyang, che-hung chien, zhang lu, zeng hao, young koo kang, shen han