Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art takes a step forward as LACMA reveals the David Geffen Galleries, its new architectural centerpiece, before art installation begins ahead of the grand public opening in April 2026 (find designboom’s previous coverage here). Capturing the horizontal, elevated structure in glass and concrete, images by Iwan Baan offer the first interior look at the museum’s 10,220-square-meter exhibition level. LACMA is now preparing to welcome the public to select areas of the new building starting summer 2025, signaling a gradual activation of the most ambitious architectural transformation in its history. Later that year, the museum will also unveil Jeff Koons’s Split-Rocker, a towering 37-foot-tall sculpture covered in over 50,000 living plants, which will become a permanent outdoor landmark adjacent to the new David Geffen Galleries.

Before the galleries are filled with thousands of artworks from LACMA’s encyclopedic collection, the museum offers a series of ‘sonic previews’ to animate the raw architecture. Acclaimed saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington led a more than 100-person ensemble in a performance of his work Harmony of Difference, spread across the full breadth of the empty exhibition spaces.

all images by Iwan Baan

iwan baan PHOTOGRAPHS the museum’s new era

Floating over Wilshire Boulevard like a contemporary bridge, Zumthor’s building replaces four aging museum structures with a single, unified gallery space. In newly released photographs by Dutch photographer Iwan Baan, the architecture’s flowing form is captured in its raw state, offering a first glimpse into the expansive, unoccupied interiors before art installation begins. The David Geffen Galleries are named after the media magnate whose contribution marked the campaign’s largest gift, while the north wing honors LACMA trustee and board co-chair Elaine Wynn, whose pledge helped launch the building initiative. A new state-of-the-art performance space, the Steve Tisch Theater, anchors the southern plaza level. 

Major construction of the Zumthor-designed structure was completed in late 2024, allowing key operational functions to move in. In summer 2025, the public will begin to access parts of the plaza level, including new dining and retail spaces. Ray’s and Stark Bar will reopen in a redesigned location, while a new LACMA Store, funded by trustee Kelvin Davis and his wife, Hana, will also debut. Across the boulevard, a second restaurant and a café will open in 2026, their spaces shaped by campaign gifts from Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, Ryan Seacrest, Ashley Merrill, and Marc Merrill.

a first look at the museum’s 10,220-square-meter exhibition level

outdoor sculptures to be installed in the following months

Below the gallery floor, shaded public spaces on both sides of Wilshire Boulevard are designed for outdoor dining, programming, and art. A highlight is the East West Bank Commons, an outdoor plaza with capacity for 500-person events. The W.M. Keck Plaza will also become home to a new education center and a full-scale commissioned artwork by Mariana Castillo Deball titled Feathered Changes, which spans the north and south sides of the building.

The new structure reconnects LACMA with the city through architecture and landscape to offer over 14,160 square meters of accessible public space. Outdoor sculptures by artists including Liz Glynn, Thomas Houseago, Shio Kusaka, Pedro Reyes, and Diana Thater will be installed in the coming months. Longtime favorites will also return, including Tony Smith’s Smoke (1967), Alexander Calder’s Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964), and a newly designed 743-square-meter Rodin garden, funded by the Cantor Foundation, showcasing some of the artist’s most iconic bronze works.

As the museum ramps up toward its 2026 opening, more previews will be announced, and the installation of LACMA’s permanent collection will begin later this year.

capturing the horizontal, elevated structure in glass and concrete

LACMA is now preparing to welcome the public to select areas of the new building

Zumthor’s building replaces four aging museum structures with a single, unified gallery space

the architecture’s flowing form is captured in its raw state

major construction of the Zumthor-designed structure was completed in late 2024

the installation of LACMA’s permanent collection will begin later this year

as the museum ramps up toward its 2026 opening, more previews will be announced

Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

the new structure reconnects LACMA with the city through architecture and landscape

project info:

name: LACMA | @lacma

architect: Peter Zumthor

location: Los Angeles, California, US

photographer: Iwan Baan | @iwanbaan

The post first look inside LACMA’s peter zumthor-designed galleries through the lens of iwan baan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Museums offer a singular way to experience architecture as a living record. Across the world, new cultural institutions and thoughtful transformations continue to shape how we engage with artwork, historical artifacts, and civic life. In this context, architecture becomes a means of orientation, framing memory and revealing histories. This year, major museum projects have been unveiled and completed. From subterranean expansions to open-air installations, the physical frameworks of these institutions reflect shifting curatorial values and public expectations. Some buildings stretch across city streets or rise from the forest floor, while others embed themselves carefully within existing heritage, expanding through deliberate restraint.

To celebrate International Museum Day, held on May 18th each year, designboom rounds up a selection of recently unveiled and anticipated museums. These projects move beyond the boundaries of the traditional gallery, inviting new modes of participation and perception. What emerges is a deeper consideration of structure and story — each museum offers its own response to the evolving role of architecture in public life.

The Frick Collection, New York, NY | image © Nicholas Venezia

Hungarian Natural History Museum

In Debrecen’s Great Forest, the Hungarian Natural History Museum designed by Bjarke Ingels Group with Vikár és Lukács Építész Stúdió, Museum Studio, and TYPSA rises from the ground in a trio of landscaped ribbons that weave through the trees. The mass timber structure is partially embedded into the terrain, its charred wood facade drawing material cues from the forest while supporting the ecological rhythms of the site.

Conceived as both architecture and landscape, the building folds together exhibition halls, public spaces, and research facilities in a continuous spatial flow, anchored by a central atrium and topped with native-planted green roofs. Viewed from above, the museum appears as an extension of the forest floor, its geometry clear but softened by its interaction with the natural surroundings. Passive design systems and on-site renewables help stabilize the interior climate, reinforcing a broader vision of cultural and environmental restoration.

Hungarian Natural History Museum, Debrecen, Hungary | visualization © BIG

FENIX MUSEUM OF MIGRATION

Fenix, the new museum of migration designed by MAD and led by architect Ma Yansong, has opened its doors within a transformed 1923 warehouse in Rotterdam’s Katendrecht district. The project anchors itself in a place once defined by departures, reimagining the monumental port structure as a civic space where personal histories and collective memory converge. At its core rises the Tornado, a spiraling double-helix staircase that cuts through the historic building and culminates in a rooftop observatory. This gesture of upward motion becomes a sculptural expression of passage, both physical and symbolic.

Inside, exhibitions unfold across immersive installations and contemporary artworks, interweaving photography, found objects, and oral histories to chart the human experiences of migration. At ground level, a freely accessible public plaza with food offerings and performances reflects the city’s multicultural spirit. For Ma Yansong, Fenix is at once an architectural milestone and a vessel for encounter and memory. It is an idea brought to life as visitors ascend through light, shadows, and shared stories.

Fenix Museum of Migration, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | image © designboom

Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum

In Shenzhen’s Guangming District, the newly opened Science & Technology Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects stands as a bold focal point at the edge of the city’s emerging Science Park. The spherical structure anchors the site with a deep blue stainless-steel skin that subtly shifts in color and reflects the sky. Terraces unfold to the west, connecting the building to the park and extending the experience of the galleries outdoors.

A vast central atrium serves as the spatial core, with exhibition spaces branching outward in layered, shifting planes that invite movement and exploration. The design merges civic architecture with sustainable ambition, incorporating passive ventilation, solar energy, and water recycling while using a digital twin to navigate its intricate geometry. Designed as a cultural and research hub, the museum brings together education and technology into a single fluid form.

Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum, Shenzhen, China | image courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects

the frick Collection

After nearly five years of renovation, The Frick Collection has reopened in New York with a renewed sense of architectural continuity, guided by Selldorf Architects in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle. The design navigates the delicate balance between preservation and intervention, with subtle alterations that honor the original 1914 Carrère and Hastings mansion while expanding its spatial and programmatic possibilities.

Key additions include the Ronald S. Lauder Exhibition Galleries, a subterranean auditorium, and public access to the residence’s second floor, where private rooms have been carefully restored. The architecture is thoughtful in tone and quiet in execution, from the oak floors to the glass-and-bronze bridge connecting the museum to the Frick Art Reference Library. With expanded facilities and newly integrated sightlines, the building deepens its role as both a cultural landmark and a site of ongoing scholarship.

The Frick Collection, New York, NY | image © Joseph Coscia Jr.

British Museum, Western Range galleries

Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture has been selected to lead the redesign of the Western Range galleries at London‘s British Museum, marking a defining chapter in the institution’s ongoing Masterplan. Known for her context-driven and materially sensitive approach, Ghotmeh proposes a reconfiguration that responds both to the museum’s architectural fabric and its layered historical collections. Her design draws from archaeological thinking, using excavation as metaphor and method, particularly in the reimagined space for the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

The project, slated for completion in 2026, will unfold through a multidisciplinary collaboration with specialists in conservation, engineering, and curatorial practice. As a result, the Western Range will become a renewed site of encounter — architecturally measured and intellectually charged — where history is at once preserved and reinterpreted.

Western Range galleries at the British Museum, London, England | visualization courtesy Lina Ghotmeh

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

As construction on the David Geffen Galleries nears completion, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art prepares for a transformative chapter shaped by Peter Zumthor’s sweeping concrete design. Elevated above LA‘s Wilshire Boulevard, the new building stretches across both sides of the thoroughfare, reorienting the museum’s campus with a fluid, sculptural presence. 

Accessed by floating stairs and elevators, the structure will offer new public spaces, shaded plazas, and the East West Bank Commons beneath the elevated galleries. Educational and cultural programs will be anchored by the W.M. Keck Education Center and the Steve Tisch Theater, while large-scale works by Mariana Castillo Deball, Sarah Rosalena, and others will be embedded across the 3.5-acre landscape. The David Geffen Galleries will open to the public for the first time in April 2026 as LACMA’s entirely new home for its permanent collection. Meanwhile, the public will be able to begin exploring multiple features of and around the new David Geffen Galleries in summer 2025 including installations of outdoor sculptures, and special preview events.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California | image via @LACMA

TEAMLAB PHENOMENA

Set to open in April 2025 within Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, teamLab Phenomena introduces a permanent space for immersive, interactive installations that evolve in real time. Conceived by the Tokyo-based art collective and designed in collaboration with MZ Architects, the 17,000-square-meter structure is shaped around teamLab’s philosophy of environmental phenomena, where artworks emerge through changing conditions of light, air, and water. The architecture facilitates a fluid relationship between visitor, artwork, and atmosphere, transforming each encounter into a distinct sensory event. As part of Abu Dhabi’s cultural vision, the venue invites open-ended exploration across art and technology while positioning itself as a catalyst for continuous discovery.

teamLab Phenomena, Abu Dhabi, UAE | visualization courtesy © teamLab

Museo Egizio, Gallery of the Kings

At Turin’s Museo Egizio, OMA has completed the renovation of the Gallery of the Kings as part of its broader reimagining of the institution, set for completion in 2025. Working with Andrea Tabocchini Architecture, the team transformed a once shadowed interior into a luminous sequence of vaulted halls, where natural and artificial light reflect off aluminum walls to heighten the presence of monumental statuary.

The design draws on ancient Egyptian associations between light and divinity, aligning spatial experience with curatorial intent. Visitors now enter through a darkened threshold before emerging into two galleries that restore the architectural clarity of the 17th-century building and stage the statues of Karnak in a newly choreographed order. The interplay of material and history offers a renewed encounter with the museum’s core collection, shaped by light and grounded in time.

Gallery of the Kings, Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy | image © Marco Cappelletti, courtesy OMA

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

During the 2025 Architecture Biennale, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain presents an exhibition by Jean Nouvel at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, offering a preview of the institution’s forthcoming transformation in Paris. Following his celebrated 1994 design for the glass-and-steel building on Boulevard Raspail, Nouvel now turns to a Haussmannian structure at Place du Palais-Royal, reimagining it as a dynamic exhibition space attuned to the needs of contemporary art.

In Venice, the exhibition traces this evolution through sectional models, large-scale imagery, and kinetic design elements such as movable ceilings and adjustable platforms that reflect the adaptable nature of the new venue. The architecture is presented in dialogue with its surroundings, with views of San Giorgio Maggiore reinforcing the show’s themes of spatial and cultural continuity. As the Fondation prepares to open its new Parisian home in autumn 2025, the exhibition foregrounds architecture as a living practice shaped by decades of collaboration.

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain by Jean Nouvel, Venice, Italy | image © Jean Nouvel/ADAGP

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Los Angeles‘ Exposition Park is undergoing a significant transformation as the MAD Architects-designed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art continues to take shape. Spearheaded by filmmaker George Lucas, the curving volume is sculptural and complex as it rises from the ground in stark contrast to the traditional structures that surround it.

An important aspect of the overall masterplan is its commitment to creating a shaded, green oasis. Previously dominated by parking lots, the area will be reborn as a walkable, landscaped gathering place amongst the car-centric city. Over two-hundred new trees have already been planted on the site surrounding the museum, overseen by landscape architect Mia Lehrer, with a focus on native and drought-tolerant species. This transformation prioritizes people over cars, creating a much-needed green space for the community of South LA. The museum is set to open in 2026, with content direction led by George Lucas.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, California | image courtesy Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

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The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is approaching a major milestone as construction on the David Geffen Galleries, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, nears completion. Spanning Wilshire Boulevard and unifying LACMA’s campus, the highly anticipated building is planning phased openings in summer 2025, with the full debut scheduled for April 2026.

Set on elevated piers, the fluid concrete form of the David Geffen Galleries redefines the presence of the museum in Los Angeles. A network of floating staircases and elevators provides access to the building from both the north and south sides of Wilshire Boulevard. The north wing of the structure, named the Elaine Wynn Wing in recognition of a $50 million donation, anchors the project, while the south wing remains open for future naming.

all images via @LACMA, unless stated otherwise

public activation begins in 2025

While the grand opening is slated for 2026, the LA-based museum is set to begin activating public spaces in 2025. The plaza level will house Ray’s and Stark Bar, a new LACMA Store backed by Kelvin and Hana Davis, and shaded outdoor areas for programming and events. New dining spaces, including a south-side restaurant funded by Ann Colgin, Joe Wender, and Ryan Seacrest, and a north-side café supported by Ashley and Marc Merrill, will follow in 2026. The East West Bank Commons, situated beneath the elevated galleries, will provide a covered gathering space for up to 500 visitors. The transformation extends to educational programming with the W.M. Keck Education Center anchoring the plaza level. The new Steve Tisch Theater will serve as a screening venue and gallery for time-based media art.

the fluid concrete form of the David Geffen Galleries redefines the presence of the museum in Los Angeles

expanding the outdoor art presence of the museum

Spanning 3.5 acres, the outdoor areas will showcase major new artworks, including Mariana Castillo Deball’s Feathered Changes across both sides of Wilshire Boulevard and a textile piece by Sarah Rosalena. Additional works by Liz Glynn, Thomas Houseago, Shio Kusaka, Pedro Reyes, and Diana Thater will be integrated into the landscape.

LACMA’s iconic sculptures will return, including Tony Smith’s Smoke (1967) and Alexander Calder’s Three Quintains (Hello Girls) (1964). The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden will be redesigned to house the museum’s Rodin collection.

Ahead of the 2026 debut, LACMA members and donors will gain early access to the raw interior spaces, followed by a site-specific music series by Kamasi Washington in June 2025. Art installations will commence later in 2025 as the museum prepares to unveil its permanent collection in the new galleries.

the highly anticipated building is planning phased openings in summer 2025

Zumthor’s design unifies LACMA’s campus | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

floating staircases provide access to the building | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

LACMA building, including david geffen galleries | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

project info:

name: LACMA | @lacma

architect: Peter Zumthor

location: Los Angeles, California, US

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On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2023, designboom joined Time & Style in a series of conversations with collaborative designers and architects, including Kengo Kuma, Claesson Koivisto Rune, DRILL DESIGN, and Aoi Huber Kono. These Design Talks explored the latest furniture pieces between these creators and the Japanese furniture manufacturers, the background of the partnerships, and how traditional craft techniques were enhanced with a contemporary outlook.

Watch some of the highlights of the Design Talks between the designers, Ryutaro Yoshida, CEO of Time & Style, and Birgit Lohmann, designboom founder – above.

(from left to right) Kengo Kuma, Birgit Lohmann, designboom founder, and Ryutaro Yoshida, CEO of Time & Style

KA SOFA BY KENGO KUMA

Following the earlier MA sofa, architect Kengo Kuma continues his collaboration with the Japanese furniture manufacturer with the KA sofa. Influenced by the wordplay, kaku-kaku, denoting ‘angular’ in Japanese, the design references this origin in its form. Its triangular prism-shaped backrest runs horizontally as if a range of mountains on the sofa’s flat seat.

The new KA sofa is a combination of kaku-kaku textures and the triangular shape, design by Kengo Kuma

KA sofa by Kengo Kuma, here with textile inspired by moss and seaweed

For a new release during Milan Design Week 2023, the KA sofa’s angular silhouette has been upholstered in a textile inspired by moss and seaweed. By scanning the natural materials, the data was processed to knit a three-dimensional textile that replicates the visual qualities and richness. The result achieves a wavy tactility to the sofa’s surfaces, only realized by hand-cutting by expert artisans.

KA sofa by Kengo Kuma in the Time & Style presentation during Milan Design Week 2023

‘Kombu is a seaweed with a texture that is not flat but also not rough. We created a fabric that reveals a similar texture as it. The secret qualities of the seaweed is combined in a way to achieve the best tension, aesthetic and depth,‘ adds Kuma. ‘We tried many different strengths to achieve this kind of randomness of Kombu. It is through this experimentation that we realized a fabric with the same qualities, strength and comfort.’

The KA sofa has wavy tactility that is only realized by hand-cutting by expert artisans

kombu texture detail of KA sofa by Kengo Kuma | image © designboom

Kombu | image courtesy Kengo Kuma

DROP PAPER LAMP BY Claesson Koivisto Rune

When designing the interiors for the K5 Tokyo hotel, Claesson Koivisto Rune (CKR) created a paper lantern that was conceived to add an intimate light to the spaces. The original design of the Drop Paper lamp grew in typologies and different sizes to suit various uses.

‘As part of the design of the K5 hotel in Tokyo, we also wanted to create five furniture pieces. These were manufactured by Time & Style, including the lantern that then became the Drop Paper lamp,‘ says Ola Rune. ‘In particular, the idea of a large 120 cm-diameter lantern posed a challenge to the craftspeople, completed after repeated prototyping.’ 

(from left to right) architects Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune in conversation in Milan

The Swedish design trio, together with Time & Style, realized a delicately-curved water droplet shape for the lamp that peaks with a pointed tip. Using the techniques of Suifu lantern-making in the Ibaraki prefecture, strips of polyetheylene terephthalate resin wrapped in washi paper covered a skeleton of the form. Echizen washi paper lends a warm color to the light as it emits through the shade.

Drop paper lamp by Claesson Koivisto Rune

‘The sheen of the paper lamp is super beautiful. When lit up in a room, the light is really nice. We knew that the expertize of creating a paper lamp in Japan was possible, but we had to spend a long time looking into different shapes,’ comments Eero Koivisto. ‘We are very interested collectors of abstract minimal art. We like shapes that are not too complicated or decorative. It is difficult to make objects that are pure and perfect though. We had a lot of experiments before arriving at this form.’

Drop paper lamp by Claesson Koivisto Rune

Echizen washi paper lends a warm color to the light cast by the Drop Paper Lamp

the making of the drop paper lamp by Claesson Koivisto Rune

DIAMOND BACK CHAIR BY DRILL DESIGN

Drill Design reimagines the classic Windsor chair with the eight-spoke Diamond Back chair. The lounging design strikes a balance between old and new, calmness and tension. Its highly crafted use of wood achieves this equilibrium, as traditional manufacturing techniques – most often by hand – realize a contemporary form. The Diamond Back chair has been developed in collaboration with Time & Style to bring a breath of fresh air to the Windsor chair while paying tribute to its concept and legacy.

(from left to right) Yoko Yasunishi and Yusuke Hayashi of DRILL DESIGN, artist Aoi Huber Kono, and Birgit Lohmann talking design

‘We made many prototypes of this design all the way through its development. This was key to creating the next chapter of the Windsor chair,‘ explains Yoko Yasunishi, co-founder of Drill Design. ‘The frame that flows seamlessly from the back to the armrests is called a continuous arm, which is one of the forms of the Windsor chairs. We recreated the sleek arm from solid wood using Japan’s sophisticated bentwood technology. The chair is characterized by the backrest with spokes interlaced into a diamond-shaped pattern, from which its name is derived.’

The Diamond Back chair’s eight spokes are interlaced by hand into a diamond-shaped pattern on the rear

With its complex geometry, the studio manufactured the Diamond Back chair with artisans at a bentwood factory with 100 years history. Its eight spokes are interlaced by hand into a diamond-shaped pattern on the back. Embracing the sitter comfortably, the back flows seamlessly into the armrests. This continuous, sensual form is only possible by using Japanese bentwood technology.

‘We produced the Diamond Back chair by bending the solid wood. This meant we were able to reinvent a chair with a historic shape by hand. However, the back is quite complicated to assemble because the pieces are connected at different angles,’ shares Yusuke Hayashi, co-founder of DRILL DESIGN.

Diamond Back chair by Drill Design

AOI HUBER KONO

Aoi Huber Kono was born in Tokyo in 1936. Daughter of Takashi Kono, an important icon of Japanese graphic design (1906-1999). After art high school, she graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. In 1960 she attended Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm where she studied Western typography. In 1961 she moved to Milan where she met Max Huber, whom she married in 1962 and with whom she shared an intense creative life until his passing in 1992. Their artistic researches included collaborations with Achille Castiglioni, Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari, Mario Botta, Kengiro Azuma, etc. Her work ranges from graphic design, illustration, painting, and design. She designed and created illustrations for Japanese and Italian magazines, children’s books, designs for textiles, scarves, toys and tapestries.

‘For the Time & Style exhibition I brought those of my own projects to Milan that best illustrate their relationship with furniture and lifestyle,’ says Aoi Huber Kono in a rare interview with designboom founder Birgit Lohmann. 
Exhibition view with the creative’s paintings, graphics and designs that were on show at Time & Style’s Milan Showroom in January 2023

With a delicacy and happiness, Aoi Huber Kono’s work as a graphic designer and illustrator is celebrated for the joy it brings to the viewer. Here shown a book of sketches by Aoi Huber Kono | image courtesy Aoi Huber Kono

Animal wooden puzzle by Aoi Huber Kono for Naef, 1979 | image courtesy Aoi Huber Kono

Aoi Huber Kono with friends (among them Achille Castiglioni, Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari…) | image courtesy Aoi Huber Kono

VALSERLIEGE BY PETER ZUMTHOR

Peter Zumthor’s Valserliege chaise longue continue the architect’s use of clean geometries

Pritzker Prize laureate Peter Zumthor creates furniture as part of the architecture. He does not design them individually or commercially. His furniture is intertwined with the architectural narrative, and thus is a fragment of the universality of his works.

Developing each architectural project at Atelier Peter Zumthor takes an enormous amount of time and energy. Never making compromises, some projects could take as long as ten years, examining and reexamining the design, form, structure, and materials through models of various scales. The furniture for such uncompromising and meticulous work requires the same. 

Peter Zumthor’s Valserliege

Time & Style created the Peter Zumthor collection using traditional materials and techniques that originated in the history and culture of Japan. There is a chemistry between Zumthor’s concept of creating authentic and universal architecture that transcends time and the Japanese artisanship that has been passed down from generation to generation. Pictured here, the Valserliege chaise longue was designed for a spa complex in the Swiss valley of Vals, Therme Vals, built of stacked layers of local stone.

Peter Zumthor’s Valserliege

Design Talks were hosted at Time & Style’s Milan showroom

design talks info:

event: Design Talks

brand: Time & Style

participants: Kengo Kuma, Claesson Koivisto Rune, DRILL DESIGN, and Aoi Huber Kono

moderator: Birgit Lohmann, designboom founder

dates: april 17-19, 2023

address: Time & Style Showroom, Largo Claudio Treves, 2, Milano

The post designboom interviews: kengo kuma, CKR, drill design and aoi huber kono for time & style at milan design week appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Peter Zumthor-planned Werkraum Haus becomes home to an exhibition with architectural models of completed works designed by him. A decade ago, in 2013, the Werkraum Bregenzerwald association opened its Werkraum Haus in the bucolic village of Andelsbuch in Austria, as a center that honors traditional craftsmanship and culture, as well as a gathering place for the public. Its rich background makes it an ideal fitting venue for this exhibition, scheduled from 18 March to 16 September 2023. 

Forty large-scale models are set up within the venue, marking architectures dedicated to craftsmanship, where

materials, construction, and form become an integrated whole. Curated by the Finnish architect and exhibition designer Hannele Grönlund in collaboration with the acclaimed swiss architect, whose practice is characterized as uncompromising and minimalist, the interior showcases a wide variety of models without excessive explanations. The models visualize craftsmanship and let the textures, forms, and materials do the talking themselves, taking the viewer into each work‘s distinctive atmosphere — something that neither plans nor digital imaging methods could cover.

the Werkraum Haus in Andeldsbuch in Bregenzerwald © Glas Marte

Zumthor models exemplify craftsmanship

Peter Zumthor’s beacon of craftsmanship in Austria will host architectural models displayed individually and in groups, occupying over 700 square meters of indoor and outdoor space. Among them are some very recent ones and others that have never been shown publicly. Materials, techniques, and aesthetics have perfectly collaborated, and this is depicted in the large-scale models that impressively convey each project’s atmosphere. 

The models are a great example of craftsmanship and, with honesty, unveil the power of handiwork and mastery in an era where everything evolves around digitalization. ‘They unfold as a response to the advent of computer-assisted drafting and designing that has made the design process abstract and put architecture in peril of losing touch with its essential materiality,’ shared the team.

Although the models are constructed with simplicity, this analogue way of working enhances a tangible experience, allowing the materials, colors, textures, volumes, and proportions to be visualized or imagined. ‘The Zumthor models are not presentation models; they are working models.’ With minimalistic gestures, the models are honest about their construction, communicating a sense of the scale and dimensions of a building‘s constituent parts. All the structures by the Atelier Peter Zumthor are handcrafted in the broadest sense of the term, which is demonstrated through the display.

model photo of the exhibition at Werkraum Haus, 2023 © Atelier Peter Zumthor

Brother Klaus: models for the Brother Klaus Field Chapel Mechernich-Wachendorf, Germany © Atelier Peter Zumthor

Vals: model study for Therme Vals, Switzerland © Aldo Amoretti

Allmannajuvet: model study for the zinc museum Allmannajuvet, Sauda, Norway © Atelier Peter Zumthor

Terror Berlin: model study of the project “Topography of Terror” Berlin, Germany © Atelier Peter Zumthor

Model in a Model: study for the exhibition in the Werkraum Haus Bregenzerwald, Andelsbuch, Austria © Atelier Peter Zumthor

project info:

name: An exhibition about architecture born of craftsmanship

architectural models: from the Atelier Peter Zumthor
venue: Werkraum Bregenzerwald, Andelsbuch | @werkraum.bregenzerwald

dates: 18 March – 16 September 2023
architect and curator of the exhibition: Hannele Grönlund
events curator: Renate Breuß
partners/in collaboration with: Land Vorarlberg; prohelvetia; Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture; the Civil Service and Sport; Bregenzerwald Tourismus; Werkraum Freunde

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(Above) Attention to detail: each copy of the Haldenstein Chair by Peter Zumthor is numbered with embossing and certified by Lucas Schnaidt 1890

Guest feature by Gerrit Terstiege / Architonic

The post lucas schnaidt series produces peter zumthor’s own home-designed chair appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

first worldwide furniture collection of Peter Zumthor

The ‘Peter Zumthor collection’ is a selection and reconstitution of furniture assembled for over fifty years, designed especially for architectural projects by the acclaimed Swiss architect and his atelier. Collaborated with Tokyo-based furniture brand Time & Style, the collection is now available to consumers worldwide for the first time. 

Generally, the architect is rather interested to integrate furniture as part of an architectural narrative, than designing them individually or commercially. Free of decorative elements, the pieces testify to a fragment of his works.

Valserliege

all images by Time & Style

minimalistic designs as parts of architecture 

Time & Style (see more here) provides consumers worldwide with the architect’s furniture series. The collection includes the ‘Valserliege’ chaise longue chair, Atelier Zumthor’s working table, and ‘Kolumba’ side tables among others. The first designed for a spa Therme Vals was manufactured in Akita, utilizing the traditional bentwood technique. The craftsman steamed the wood frame at a high temperature and then bent it into a metal mold. With this technique, no wood is wasted, while it offers a stunning curved form. Thanks to solid wood, the product is durable to be used for a long time.

Atelier Zumthor’s working table is a minimalistic design used in Peter Zumthor’s private house and his atelier in Haldenstein, Switzerland. The piece features a tabletop supported by four removable solid wood legs. Its leg’s position and thickness offer a surprising balance that delights the viewer’s eye. Furthermore, its clean geometries without additional decorations give the feeling of touching raw wood. Each unit is hand-made at the Time & Style Factory in Hokkaido and comes in two finishes: original tannin black and beeswax finish. The dark color is created by the chemical reaction of the material itself between tannin and iron.

Finally, the ‘Kolumba’ side tables were developed for a reading room at the Kolumba museum. Time & Style applied the Japanese traditional technique of carving out zelkova logs to make mortar for pounding rice. The table carved out from a single zelkova log shows an impressive grain on the sides, with a tabletop painted with vibrant color. The four brilliant color variations add an accent to the space, and the two different size variations create a rhythm.

Atelier Zumthor working table, beeswax finish

The furniture brand sees connections between traditional Japanese crafts and Zumthor’s architecture and philosophy. Both employ the essential characteristics and presence of the materials to create a long-lasting atmosphere. ‘The materials come from the earth, from our planet, and there are a lot of them. They all somehow derived from this world. And then you put together a house, you can create a beautiful harmony by choosing the right things. This is the task of architecture. Architecture is not virtual,’ said Peter Zumthor in an interview.

The series carries a functional beauty, that is born from necessity. There are connections between each material and structure, form, and detail.

Atelier Zumthor working table, black tannin finish

Valserliege, bentwood technique in Akita

Valserliege, sketches

Kolumba side table, carving out from zelkova logs

Atelier Zumthor working table, Logs are cut into lumber and dried at Time & Style Factory

Time & Style Factory in Hokkaido

Atelier Zumthor working table at Peter Zumthor’s private house

project info:

name: Peter Zumthor collection
designer: Peter Zumthor 

by: Time & Style

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. See more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina petridou | designboom

The post first peter zumthor furniture collection by time & style now available for consumers appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

terrace and north entrance galleries, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary (also main image)

‘displaying all art on a single level avoids giving more prominence to any specific culture, tradition, or era, offering visitors a multitude of perspectives on art and art history in a more accessible, inclusive way,’ LACMA continues. ‘the single-level gallery floor will also be more intuitive to navigate and easier to access, especially for wheelchairs and strollers, and its perimeter of transparent glass will provide energizing natural light and views to the park and urban environment, with views from outside into the galleries.’

terrace and south entrance galleries facing north, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

the new building will have a range of exhibition spaces, from galleries with natural light to galleries with controlled artificial lighting. the majority of spaces in the new building have been designed to be able to display light-sensitive works. noticeably, concrete has been chosen for the gallery walls. pointing out that concrete walls have been used successfully in other museums around the world, LACMA says that the material was chosen for its ‘aesthetic character and beautiful sense of gravitas’. the LA times says that zumthor is collaborating with SOM on the building’s design, engineering, and construction — including the interior finishes.

courtyard gallery, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

the new building totals 347,500 square feet (32,284 sqm), replacing approximately 393,000 square feet (36,511 sqm) of existing buildings. there will be approximately 110,000 square feet of gallery space (10,219 sqm), replacing approximately 120,000 square feet (11,148 sqm) of gallery space. however, the building also includes a new theater, education spaces, three restaurant/cafés, a museum shop, and covered multipurpose event spaces. meanwhile, much-improved ancillary and back-of-house facilities will support LACMA’s public programs.

interior gallery, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

the $750 million USD project is being funded through a public-private partnership where the county of los angeles will contribute $125 million and $625 million will come from private donations. more than $655 million has been raised to date. construction work on site began in 2020, with the new building expected to complete by the end of 2023 before opening to the public a year later. more information can be seen on LACMA’s dedicated website, and see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

courtyard gallery, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

terrace galleries, facing west, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

terrace galleries facing west towards resnick pavilion, exhibition level
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

exterior view southwest from hancock park, pavilion for japanese art on the far right
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

view northwest toward BCAM, resnick pavilion, smidt welcome plaza, and ‘urban light’
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

aerial view; LACMA building, including david geffen galleries, in context of museum mile
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner/the boundary

project info:

architect: atelier peter zumthor & partner
client: LACMA — los angeles county museum of art
location: los angeles, CA, USA
status: under construction — completion forecast for the end of 2023, with public opening scheduled for 2024

The post LACMA reveals concrete interiors of its peter zumthor-designed building appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

exterior view east from BCAM
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

LACMA’s new building will be composed of seven semi-transparent concrete and glass pavilions that support an elevated, organically shaped, and transparent main exhibition level with a floor-to-ceiling glass façade. zumthor’s design also includes new outdoor landscaped plazas, public programming, educational spaces, sculpture gardens, and integrated native and drought-tolerant vegetation. a new parking lot will also be created as part of the scheme.

view southwest from hancock park, pavilion for japanese art on the far right
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

in april, the los angeles county board of supervisors met to certify the project’s final environmental impact report (FEIR) and rubber stamp the project. construction documents will now be drawn up with construction to begin in late 2019. completion is forecast for the end of 2023.

exterior view west toward the resnick pavilion, BCAM, and the smidt welcome plaza
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

once complete, visitors will be able to access the museum via a new metro station — also set to open in 2023. the subway station on the metro purple line will also provide access to other institutions on ‘miracle mile’, including the la brea tar pits museum and the new academy museum of motion pictures. see designboom’s previous coverage of zumthor’s design here, with more information available on LACMA’s website.

interior view of a meander gallery
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

interior view of a central gallery
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

interior gallery
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

view west down wilshire boulevard
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

project info:

architect: atelier peter zumthor & partner
client: LACMA — los angeles county museum of art
location: los angeles, CA, USA
status: approved by local authorities, construction documents being drawn up

The post fresh images of peter zumthor’s scaled-down design for new LACMA building appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

the most recent iteration of LACMA’s new building
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary (also main image)

for the first time, zumthor talked about his project when he sat down with journalist sabine von fischer for the NZZ newspaper. perpetually interested in the complex relationship between a building, its environment, and humans, zumthor broke out from the museum’s contained campus extending it over the boulevard. he describes his first iteration of his LACMA extension, known as ‘the black flower’, as engaging ‘in a dialogue with the history of the place. however, our neighbor, the museum of natural history, who oversees the tar pits on the site, asked us to step back. we wanted to respect that wish. so we crossed the squares of the urban grid.

‘that was a moment of liberation, the departure from the axis meant the breakthrough for us. it is an encyclopaedic museum, with halls filled with 135,000 objects that came together by accident: furniture, clothes, stone sculptures. one could say: it is completely disparate, what is gathered here. I call it a sanctuary for expatriated objects. we will focus on the things that belong together and then consciously set transitions.’

the updated design adopts a lower profile
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner / the boundary

when asked how architecture changes (or not) depending on its scale, the architect answers: ‘my attitude [towards architecture of different scales] is always the same, the topics do not change. but the places are always new, that fascinates me. I love to explore and understand places so that my buildings can respond to them in a special way… it’s important for me to develop buildings out of the context. that’s why their shape is always different. nevertheless, so I am told, [my] buildings always have their own atmosphere that you can feel immediately.‘

‘the free form allowed me to respond to all neighbors in a friendly manner, but that was not the step beyond the terrain. the ‘black flower’ — that’s what we called the building’s figure — marks the beginning of this process, inside the park’s enclosures. only when we ventured out over wilshire boulevard did the building acquire the character of a large public building.‘

a previous version of the scheme — the ‘black flower’ — employed a different color palette
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner

zumthor’s buildings are known to have an incomparable attention to detail. as one of his largest buildings, the architect expands on maintaining the same quality from his studio’s base in haldenstein, switzerland. ‘we haldensteiner architects work with a large team of mostly american engineers and specialists on this project. we are in the process of establishing a collegial cooperation, also with the general contractor and his subcontractors. our american partner architects are SOM, a traditional company in the united states with a great deal of experience. SOM is known for good quality. the most important thing is that it was always michael govan’s wish that I could guide and supervise everything. haldenstein is in charge.‘

‘every decision is made by haldenstein, because it is clear to all those involved that this is the only way to achieve the highest quality,’ zumthor continues. ‘I know that the american construction industry usually works differently, and the contractors and architects are so far apart in the building process that they usually never get to know each other. for us, however, the following applies: I not only participate in the execution plans of SOM. I also look at all the workshop drawings of the executing craftsmen and I have already met such. there are also professionals in los angeles who understand their craft.’

a scale model of the previous design for the site
image © atelier peter zumthor & partner

compared to the more monolithic construction methods zumthor has used in his european buildings, in LA he is attempting to respect the more traditional american construction of additive methods and layers. yet, he sees no difficulties in completing the main exhibition hall out of a single concrete cast. ‘we foresee to complete the building in 2023, the year of my 80th birthday. a year after we could open it.’ when asked about the recent county council vote in april 2019, which approved the project despite its steep price, he trusts LACMA director michael govan: ‘you do the project and I do the rest,’ govan assured him. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

The post peter zumthor comments on his LACMA redesign for the first time appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.