Delightful by Joe Self, AIA
Project Kimbell Art Museum Expansion, Fort Worth Client Kimbell Art Foundation Architects Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Design Architect) and Kendall/Heaton Associates (Architect of Record) Design Team RPBW M. Carroll; O. Teke; S. Ishida; Sh. Ishida; M. Orlandi; S. Polotti; D. Hammerman; F. Spadini; E. Moore; A. Morselli; S. Ishida; D. Piano; D. Reimers; E. Santiago; F. Cappellini; F. Terranova Design Team Kendall/Heaton Associates Laurence C. Burns, Jr., FAIA; Nobuhiko Shoga, AIA; Daniel Dupuis, AIA; Saman Ahmadi, AIA; Michael Ta, Ai Kawashima, Juan Salas Photographer Thomas McConnell
T
he impossibly smooth concrete of the new Renzo Piano Pavilion at the Kimbell Art Museum is irresistible — all architects will inevitably be inspired to touch it. And it is just one of the material details of the building that demonstrate why architecture has the power to resonate with people. Large expanses of glass, taut scrims, freestanding cotton-covered walls, wire-thin hangers tucked into an invisible rail supporting Renaissance paintings — the Piano Pavilion favors a restrained yet powerful palette. With Louis Kahn’s iconic Kimbell as inspiration for the play of natural light and simple material choices, the design team knew the devil would be in the details, and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, working with a huge team that included Kendall/Heaton Associates, got them right. resulted in a glassy, satiny surface on the gallery walls. Cambered beams of laminated Douglas fir, set in pairs, run through the spaces supporting the airy cantilevered roof of fritted and louvered glass. Metals, which are largely painted white, are assigned to the parasol-like roof frames, tension bars, and joinery at the wood beams. Rift-sawn white oak is deployed as floor planks, which Concrete alchemy and a touch of titanium dust
3/4 2014
Texas Architect 39