zaha hadid's broad art museum dons a pleated metal facade

‘broad art museum’ by zaha hadid, east lansing, michigan image © paul warchol

after a long period of planning and construction, the ‘broad art museum’ by zaha hadid architects has a projected opening date of november 10th on the campus of michigan state university in east lansing, michigan. photographs of the completed three storey building now evoke the initial renders during the schematic design phase. displayed within 18,000 square feet of galleries, the collection will include artifacts from greek and roman periods, renaissance and up through the modern period, exhibiting contemporary pieces amongst a backdrop of historical context.

the overall form of the pleated exterior is generated by planes determined by pedestrian paths and vehicular circulation occurring around the site. folding into a three dimensional space to accommodate the movement of people, the resulting interconnecting geometries produce an interior landscape which may be interpreted during exhibition design. curators interpret these complexities differently when forming leads, connections, perspectives and relationships. by allowing the landscape and topography to affect the lines during design will inherently embed the campus context into the changing exhibits to maintain a strong relationship to its surroundings.

image © paul warchol

image © paul warchol