New Year’s Sale: Get 20% off Dwell with promo code YEAR20
SubscribeSign In
Collection by Brandi Andres

A Sneak Peek at the Broad Museum's Incredible Latticed Concrete Design

The $140 million museum by Diller Scofidio + Renfro is an impressive feat of concrete, glass, and steel.

Stepping onto The Broad museum’s spacious gallery floor from a gigantic, unfinished art elevator that’s still covered in plywood is quite an experience. There’s something very “2001: A Space Odyssey” about it. Thousands of curious visitors were given such an opportunity on February 20, during a one-day preview of Los Angeles’ forthcoming contemporary art museum. Founders, and philanthropists, Eli and Edythe Broad have given $140 million to build the new home for their collection of nearly 2,000 pieces of art, which includes works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Cindy Sherman and Robert Rauschenberg. The museum resides on a stretch of Bunker Hill, downtown, next to some prestigious neighbors, including the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Broad is scheduled to open September 20, 2015, and admission will be free.

View 6 Photos
A cylindrical, glass elevator stretches from the public lobby through the center of the building, past the second-floor holdings, and opens at the main gallery on the third floor. The sculpted, concrete façade and steel handrails of the staircase, which spirals around the elevator, add an industrial texture to the museum’s design. Both the central stairwell and elevator will offer visitors a glimpse at some of the pieces in the private collection stored on the second floor.
A cylindrical, glass elevator stretches from the public lobby through the center of the building, past the second-floor holdings, and opens at the main gallery on the third floor. The sculpted, concrete façade and steel handrails of the staircase, which spirals around the elevator, add an industrial texture to the museum’s design. Both the central stairwell and elevator will offer visitors a glimpse at some of the pieces in the private collection stored on the second floor.
The 105-foot escalator begins at the lobby level and disappears into a concrete cave, delivering passengers to the third-floor gallery. The first floor also houses a museum shop, a small gallery, and a multimedia space. Just outside of the west entrance at Grand Avenue will be a park-like 24,000-square-foot plaza with a restaurant, a grove of century-old olive trees, and an area to hold outdoor events, such as film screenings and receptions.
The 105-foot escalator begins at the lobby level and disappears into a concrete cave, delivering passengers to the third-floor gallery. The first floor also houses a museum shop, a small gallery, and a multimedia space. Just outside of the west entrance at Grand Avenue will be a park-like 24,000-square-foot plaza with a restaurant, a grove of century-old olive trees, and an area to hold outdoor events, such as film screenings and receptions.
The gallery features 35,000 square feet of stark white opulence. A woven, honeycomb-like design that covers the ceiling of the third-level gallery and the exterior wall, stretching a block’s length on Grand Avenue, is what Diller Scofidio + Renfro refers to as the museum’s veil. Made of 2,500 fiberglass-reinforced concrete panels and 650 tons of steel, the veil diffuses indirect, natural light through 318 glazed skylights before it can enter into the entire top-floor space. The designers have dubbed The Broad's structure “the veil and the vault,” as it will serve two distinct purposes: public exhibition space and private collection storage.
The gallery features 35,000 square feet of stark white opulence. A woven, honeycomb-like design that covers the ceiling of the third-level gallery and the exterior wall, stretching a block’s length on Grand Avenue, is what Diller Scofidio + Renfro refers to as the museum’s veil. Made of 2,500 fiberglass-reinforced concrete panels and 650 tons of steel, the veil diffuses indirect, natural light through 318 glazed skylights before it can enter into the entire top-floor space. The designers have dubbed The Broad's structure “the veil and the vault,” as it will serve two distinct purposes: public exhibition space and private collection storage.
Elizabeth Diller is the principal in charge of The Broad museum’s design, along with partners Richard Scofidio and Charles Renfro. Diller and team are far from new to designing for the art world; they have also been working with New York’s Museum of Modern Art on its expansion.
Elizabeth Diller is the principal in charge of The Broad museum’s design, along with partners Richard Scofidio and Charles Renfro. Diller and team are far from new to designing for the art world; they have also been working with New York’s Museum of Modern Art on its expansion.
The museum’s “oculus,” the circular opening on the exterior veil, is a visual focal point at the heart of The Broad, where the collection storage vault resides. The vault is impressively protected by 36 million pounds of concrete. Beneath the 120,000-square-foot structure is a three-story parking garage, which will offer electric car charging stations and bike parking spaces. In addition to consideration of best green construction practices, the designers have also built the veil and vault with the potential threat of major earthquakes in mind.
The museum’s “oculus,” the circular opening on the exterior veil, is a visual focal point at the heart of The Broad, where the collection storage vault resides. The vault is impressively protected by 36 million pounds of concrete. Beneath the 120,000-square-foot structure is a three-story parking garage, which will offer electric car charging stations and bike parking spaces. In addition to consideration of best green construction practices, the designers have also built the veil and vault with the potential threat of major earthquakes in mind.