ShowCase: Soumaya Museum
Aug 21, 2009
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The Soumaya Museum will be a state-of-the-art facility that will house a diverse collection of art when it opens by the end of 2010.
While museum buildings tend to opt for maximum functionality, in which case they are basically boxes or containers of art, or they are conceived as iconic buildings that represent a city during a particular historic moment.
The Soumaya Museum, however, was conceived as a sculptural buildings that is both unique and contemporary, yet serves to house a diverse collection of international painting, sculpture, and object art from the 14th century to the present, including the world's second biggest collection of Rodin sculptures.
From the outside, the building is an amorphous shape that inspires different experiences in each visitor, while inside the museum the varied topology reflects the diversity of the collection of art.
The shell of the building is constructed with steel columns of different diameters, each with their own geometry and shape, which offers the visitor a non-linear circulation. There are 20,000 square meters of exhibition space divided amongst five floors, as well as an auditorium, café, offices, store, multi-use lobby and storage space. The top floor is the largest space within the museum, and its roof hangs from a cantilever that creates natural lighting. The façade of the building is made from translucent concrete, a very airy yet solid material that allows light to filter in.
Current state at the construction site. The museum is scheduled to open by the end of 2010.
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