This project is expansion of the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Florida.
The museum was in need to reorganize itself in order to accommodate works of contemporary art. In 1993 the invitational design competition was held, and we won the first prize. The required program simply called for an addition to the existing museum. However we stepped further and presented a proposal suggesting that the museum will be reorganized as “museum of the next generation”. The existing building, designed as library in the Beaux- Arts style in 1925, represents “the first generation museum” of classical art. The new galleries represent “the second generation museum” of modern art. And a group of detached pavilions would be “the third generation museum” accommodating sitespecific works of contemporary art. Presently the expansion is being carried out in several phases and in the current phase “the second generation museum” is under construction. Rectangular gallery wings will be placed symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the existing building, and one of them has been completed at this stage.
The galleries consist of simple white cubes lit by natural light from high-side windows and controllable artificial lighting. The main gallery hovers above the ground and the museum shop and the outdoor sculpture garden are located on the ground level. Entrance, adjoining lobbies and ramp are located on the central axis to connect all facilities. The south wing of the existing museum has been converted to a multi-purpose room used for lectures etc. and the north wing to a cafe. The cafe and the north gallery wing of the new building surround the courtyard with an open cafe, where the old and the new facades meet. The south gallery wing is to be completed in the next phase.