MAD architects plans lucas museum of narrative art for LA

UPDATE: on january 10, 2017, it was revealed that los angeles, and not san francisco, will be home to the MAD-designed lucas museum of narrative art. groundbreaking is planned before the end of 2017, with the opening targeted for 2021.

‘after extensive due diligence and deliberation, the board of directors of the lucas museum of narrative art is pleased to announce plans to build the museum in exposition park in los angeles,’ announced the museum’s board. ‘we have been humbled by the overwhelmingly positive support we received from both san francisco and los angeles during our selection process. settling on a location proved to be an extremely difficult decision precisely because of the desirability of both sites and cities.’ read more on both competing designs below.

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in october 2016, the lucas museum of narrative art revealed two conceptual proposals, both designed by MAD architects, for its long-awaited museum building. five months earlier, the george lucas-founded institution announced that it was abandoning plans to build the museum in chicago, as originally intended. in light of extensive delays, attributed to the friends of the parks organization, the lucas museum selected the state of california as its future home.

the LA design would be sited in exposition park, neighboring the memorial coliseum
all images courtesy of lucas museum of narrative art

proposed plans were drawn up for two potential museum buildings — one in los angeles, and one in san francisco. both concepts were been designed by ma yansong’s MAD architects, with no indication given about a preferred location.

lucas museum’s LA design — the eventual winner — would be sited in the city’s exposition park, neighboring the memorial coliseum sports stadium, home of the 1932 and 1984 olympic games. occupying two parking lots, the scheme would add between 6-7 acres of green space with 90,000 – 100,000 square feet of galleries housed inside a sinuous structure topped with trees and other plantation. underground parking would also be provided as part of the project, accommodating up to 1,800 vehicles.

the san francisco scheme would be sited on the city’s treasure island

plans for a potential san francisco home saw a similarly sinuous scheme sited on treasure island, an artificial island in san francisco bay. the design would house the same amount of gallery space as its los angeles counterpart, with approximately 265,000 – 275,000 net square feet of interior space. the waterfront scheme would have formed part of the island’s ongoing development, in close proximity to ferry terminals and access to the mainland.

the waterfront scheme would form part of the island’s ongoing development

the lucas museum of narrative art intends to celebrate the power of visual storytelling through painting, illustration, photography, film, animation, and digital art. the ‘barrier-free museum’ seeks to remove artificial divisions between ‘high’ art and ‘popular’, allowing future guests to explore a range of storytelling techniques, and welcoming a wider range of visitors. more details on the project will follow at a later date.

the original design for chicago was abandoned after extensive delays