Tadao Ando T- he new Modern Art Museum

Nearing completion
Tadao Ando
The new Modern Art Museum
Fort Worth, Texas

The new Modern Art Museum, designed by Tadao Ando, will open to the public on Saturday, December 14, 2002.
The building is located in Fort Worth's celebrated Cultural District, directly opposite the Kimbell Art Museum, designed by Louis I. Kahn, and near the Amon Carter Museum, designed by Philip Johnson.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum

Tadao Ando's design embodies the pure, unadorned elements of a modern work of art. Massive planar walls of architectural concrete boldly express the building's basic structure while protecting the collection within.

Model photo courtesy Modern Art Museum

“I try to relate the fixed form and compositional method to the kind of life that will be lived in the given space and to local regional society. My mainstay in selecting the solutions to these problems is my independent architectural theory ordered on the basis of a geometry of simple forms, my own ideas of life, and my emotions as a Japanese.”
Tadao Ando

Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum

Forty-foot-high transparent walls of glass framed in metal surround the concrete envelope, providing magnificent public circulation areas from which to view the surrounding building, the large reflecting pond, outdoor sculpture and the landscaped grounds.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum

The desire to use diffused and reflected natural light within the gallery spaces was a major influence on the building's design. Immense cantilevered cast concrete roofs shade the building's exterior and accommodate the introduction of natural light into the gallery spaces by supporting sophisticated systems of continuous linear skylights and clerestory windows.
Supporting the concrete roof slabs are five forty-foot-tall concrete Y-shaped columns.

Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum

By day, the new Modern's setting, on eleven naturally landscaped acres, including areas for outdoor sculpture and a large reflecting pond at the building's edge, will provide a restful complement to the Modern's architectural strength. By night, with the concrete walls bathed in an even glow of light, the transparent glass and steel galleries will appear as large lanterns floating on and reflected in the pond.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum

Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum

The new Modern features 53,000 square feet of gallery space, making it second in size only to The Museum of Modern Art in New York in terms of gallery space in this country dedicated to modern and contemporary works of art.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum
Entrance to First Floor Galleries from Lobby

Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum

A variety of gallery spaces can be accommodated throughout the two levels of the new Modern by the simple modularity of the building's design, combined with three double-height volumes that will allow dramatic presentation of sculpture.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum
The Grand Staircase

The building’s two levels will permit the Museum's curatorial staff to display works from the permanent collection on one floor while hosting a major traveling exhibition on another.

The new Modern's 5,600-square-foot Education Center will include three separate classrooms for hands-on art activities and lectures and will be served by its own entry pavilion. This improvement will keep tour congestion away from the main entrance and will provide adults attending evening classes with close, convenient access to the Education Center when the main entrance is closed.

The new auditorium facility will seat 250 people and, due to the incorporation of an innovative acoustical design, will be able to accommodate lectures, film festivals, and musical performances.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum

Combined with the adjacent 250-seat cafe, with its full-service kitchen and outdoor dining terrace overlooking the reflecting pond, the auditorium complex will provide an exciting and convenient meeting and conference site for community and business groups.

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum
The Main Entrance

Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum
Site Plan

The Modern Art Museum maintains one of the foremost collections of post-war art in the central United States, consisting of more than 2,400 significant works of modern and contemporary international art.

Visit the Image Library to download larger images.

Site Area: 10.96 acres
New Building Area: 153,000 square feet
Existing Building Area: 42,000 square feet
New Building Gallery Space: 53,000 square feet
Existing Gallery Space: 10,000 square feet
Construction Start: September 1999
Completion: Fall 2002
Inauguration: December 14, 2002

Present Owner: MPA Foundation, a non-profit entity created to facilitate the redevelopment of the property.
Design Architect: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Osaka, Japan
Architect of Record: Kendall-Heaton Associates, Inc., Houston, Texas
Consulting Architect: Richard Fitzgerald & Associates
Owner’s representative: Peter Edward Arendt, AIA
Director of Design & Construction, MPA Foundation
General Contractor: Linbeck Construction Corp.
Structural Engineer: Thornton-Tomasetti/Ellisor-Tanner Engineers
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: CHP & Associates
Civil Engineer: Huitt-Zollars, Inc.
Landscape Architect: SWA Group
Lighting Consultant; George Sexton Associates
Water Feature Consultant: Waterscape Consultants, Inc.
Curtain Wall Consultant: Peter M. Muller, Inc.
Food Service Consultant: Frank Clements Associates
Accoustical Consultant: Cerami & Associates, Inc.

May 13, 2002

Tadeo Ando arcspace features





				Features
		Nearing completion Tadao Ando The new Modern Art Museum Fort Worth, Texas The new Modern Art Museum, designed by Tadao Ando, will open to the public on Saturday, December 14, 2002. The building is located in Fort Worth's celebrated Cultural District, directly opposite the Kimbell Art Museum, designed by Louis I. Kahn, and near the Amon Carter Museum, designed by Philip Johnson. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum Tadao Ando's design embodies the pure, unadorned elements of a modern work of art. Massive planar walls of architectural concrete boldly express the building's basic structure while protecting the collection within. Model photo courtesy Modern Art Museum “I try to relate the fixed form and compositional method to the kind of life that will be lived in the given space and to local regional society. My mainstay in selecting the solutions to these problems is my independent architectural theory ordered on the basis of a geometry of simple forms, my own ideas of life, and my emotions as a Japanese.” Tadao Ando Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum Forty-foot-high transparent walls of glass framed in metal surround the concrete envelope, providing magnificent public circulation areas from which to view the surrounding building, the large reflecting pond, outdoor sculpture and the landscaped grounds. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum The desire to use diffused and reflected natural light within the gallery spaces was a major influence on the building's design. Immense cantilevered cast concrete roofs shade the building's exterior and accommodate the introduction of natural light into the gallery spaces by supporting sophisticated systems of continuous linear skylights and clerestory windows. Supporting the concrete roof slabs are five forty-foot-tall concrete Y-shaped columns. Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum By day, the new Modern's setting, on eleven naturally landscaped acres, including areas for outdoor sculpture and a large reflecting pond at the building's edge, will provide a restful complement to the Modern's architectural strength. By night, with the concrete walls bathed in an even glow of light, the transparent glass and steel galleries will appear as large lanterns floating on and reflected in the pond. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum The new Modern features 53,000 square feet of gallery space, making it second in size only to The Museum of Modern Art in New York in terms of gallery space in this country dedicated to modern and contemporary works of art. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum Entrance to First Floor Galleries from Lobby Photo courtesy Modern Art Museum A variety of gallery spaces can be accommodated throughout the two levels of the new Modern by the simple modularity of the building's design, combined with three double-height volumes that will allow dramatic presentation of sculpture. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum The Grand Staircase The building’s two levels will permit the Museum's curatorial staff to display works from the permanent collection on one floor while hosting a major traveling exhibition on another. The new Modern's 5,600-square-foot Education Center will include three separate classrooms for hands-on art activities and lectures and will be served by its own entry pavilion. This improvement will keep tour congestion away from the main entrance and will provide adults attending evening classes with close, convenient access to the Education Center when the main entrance is closed. The new auditorium facility will seat 250 people and, due to the incorporation of an innovative acoustical design, will be able to accommodate lectures, film festivals, and musical performances. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum Combined with the adjacent 250-seat cafe, with its full-service kitchen and outdoor dining terrace overlooking the reflecting pond, the auditorium complex will provide an exciting and convenient meeting and conference site for community and business groups. Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum The Main Entrance Drawing courtesy Modern Art Museum Site Plan The Modern Art Museum maintains one of the foremost collections of post-war art in the central United States, consisting of more than 2,400 significant works of modern and contemporary international art. Visit the Image Library to download larger images. Site Area: 10.96 acres New Building Area: 153,000 square feet Existing Building Area: 42,000 square feet New Building Gallery Space: 53,000 square feet Existing Gallery Space: 10,000 square feet Construction Start: September 1999 Completion: Fall 2002 Inauguration: December 14, 2002 Present Owner: MPA Foundation, a non-profit entity created to facilitate the redevelopment of the property. Design Architect: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Osaka, Japan Architect of Record: Kendall-Heaton Associates, Inc., Houston, Texas Consulting Architect: Richard Fitzgerald & Associates Owner’s representative: Peter Edward Arendt, AIA Director of Design & Construction, MPA Foundation General Contractor: Linbeck Construction Corp. Structural Engineer: Thornton-Tomasetti/Ellisor-Tanner Engineers Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: CHP & Associates Civil Engineer: Huitt-Zollars, Inc. Landscape Architect: SWA Group Lighting Consultant; George Sexton Associates Water Feature Consultant: Waterscape Consultants, Inc. Curtain Wall Consultant: Peter M. Muller, Inc. Food Service Consultant: Frank Clements Associates Accoustical Consultant: Cerami & Associates, Inc. May 13, 2002 Tadeo Ando arcspace features