February 19, 2008
AMoA Releases Sketches for Future Home
Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) today unveiled
the concept art, shown right, for its future home next to Republic
Square Park. The $23 million project, of which all but $9 million has
been raised, will give AMOA exactly 2.5 times its current total square
footage and accommodate an estimated 10,000 square feet of exhibition
space.
"With its permanent home, AMOA will join other key new civic facilities including the new airport, convention center, city hall, performing arts center, and eventually a new main library. These key achievements signal that together we are reaching a new stage in our development as a city, and in the ways Austin serves our citizens and visitors," said Dana Friis-Hansen, AMOA's Executive Director. "We're proud of what we've been able to accomplish in our current location, but it's time for us to move out of a temporary renovated space in a former bank building to a new home that will address the growing demand for the visual arts in the region."
The new Museum building will be developed in partnership with international developer Hines and world-class architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, whose portfolio includes the MoMA in Manhattan, the future World Financial Center in Beijing, and the Citigroup Tower in London.
"With its permanent home, AMOA will join other key new civic facilities including the new airport, convention center, city hall, performing arts center, and eventually a new main library. These key achievements signal that together we are reaching a new stage in our development as a city, and in the ways Austin serves our citizens and visitors," said Dana Friis-Hansen, AMOA's Executive Director. "We're proud of what we've been able to accomplish in our current location, but it's time for us to move out of a temporary renovated space in a former bank building to a new home that will address the growing demand for the visual arts in the region."
The new Museum building will be developed in partnership with international developer Hines and world-class architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, whose portfolio includes the MoMA in Manhattan, the future World Financial Center in Beijing, and the Citigroup Tower in London.
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no news is good news except sometimes, and maybe even often.
thanks, allen.
I'm all for AMOA finally moving into a new building, that's fantastic (go team Art!) but yaaaaaawn on the design. I'm not proposing that everything has to be Ghery craziness but maybe something like the New Museum in NYC would have been cool? I'd be more excited if our local museums and cultural institutions embraced groundbreaking architecture like the Walker in Minneapolis or the De Young in San Francisco. If we're a city that prides itself on original thinking and a thriving creative class we certainly show a lack of it in our architecture. Even if you have to buy a Ford, at least make it a GT 40!
How underwhelming.
I hope this building and museum happen and don't get sucked into the void caused by the ongoing credit crunch. The project totally reminds me of a wonderful art museum in Seattle that was also integrated with a modern LEED certified office tower.
Just because a building is square does not make it boring or bad design (it also does not make it good design). In my opinion, if the details are done right this will be a fresh addition to the urban fabric on a long-neglected prime downtown parcel of land.
Anyone know who the structural engineers will be?
I agree the architecture is a snoozer. Big glass boxes are so 1980. Even Ft. Worth got a beauty of a building for their modern collection. Less glass, more sass!
is anyone else confused about the amount of space dedicated to exhibitions? we may not be Seattle, but all that money for a meager 10,000 sq ft seems shortsighted to me. increasing their space by 2.5 times? i dunno, i would have hoped we could manage a little more room for growth.