Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens design
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf's design for the new Calder Gardens in downtown Philadelphia is set to be a tranquil tribute to artist Alexander Calder
Artist Alexander Calder has inspired a new exhibition space in downtown Philadelphia. Calder Gardens, situated on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, encompasses both a building by Swiss architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron and gardens by Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf.
An influx of natural light unites the elements of the just-unveiled design, which connects the outdoors and indoors with easy fluidity. Open, spacious galleries will become a showcase for works curated by New York’s Calder Foundation, from mobiles to sculptures and paintings. The artworks, installed throughout the interior and exterior spaces, respond to the seasons in a geometric celebration of nature.
‘Our intention for Calder Gardens is not only to create the ideal environment for the public to encounter my grandfather’s work but also to elevate personal contemplation and reflection,’ says Calder Foundation president Alexander SC Rower. ‘Calder’s role as a pioneer of experiential art is essential to his legacy. For viewers who open themselves up to the possibilities of his mobiles and stabiles, the unexpected takes root. His objects continuously unfold in real time.’
Herzog & de Meuron builds on Calder’s celebration of the familiar in a design that eschews building above ground, preferring to sculpt new spaces in the ground in a conceptual rethink of traditional architectural forms. ‘We were looking for space to present Calder’s work in a new and unprecedented way,’ says Jacques Herzog, founding partner along with Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron. ‘That space in the making eventually grew into a whole sequence of different galleries and also rather unexpected spaces, niches and gardens; such as the apse and the quasi-galleries or open plan gallery, the sunken or vestige gardens.’
The space is set to become a tranquil foil for the naturalistic beauty of Piet Oudolf’s garden, the antithesis of the Parkway’s manicured spaces. ‘I see my gardens as living sculptures where change is constant,’ Oudolf says. ‘The site is like a canvas to work on, and each plant has a personality that must work with the others. The composition of the garden is variable and will evolve through the seasons. For Calder Gardens, the horticultural design must also serve the works of art. My hope is that people will take the time to stand still and think here, to fully experience these elements together and have an emotional reaction that stays with them long after their visit. It’s not about what you see, but what you sense.’
The gardens will make natural surroundings for the reflective metal-clad building, which is set to be nestled unobtrusively in the landscape. Adds Herzog: ‘Not only galleries in the classical sense, but every corner and angle, every stair and corridor should be offering itself up as a place to put art.’
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
JW Anderson and Pleasing design a balloon-inspired collection of nail polishes and more
JW Anderson and Pleasing launch an uplifting new capsule collection featuring balloon-inspired metallic nail polishes and a take on the viral rainbow cardigan
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Bottega Veneta drafts Venetian artisans for its unique ‘Bottega for Bottegas’ project, a gift list of local craft
Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta has sought out six craftspeople from in and around Venice to create precious objects – from playing cards to jigsaw puzzles – which arrive just in time for festive gift-giving
By Jack Moss Published
-
Agnès Varda, Luca Guadagnino and Wim Wenders: why Aesop’s love affair with cinema is more than skin-deep
Aesop’s new 2024 Christmas campaign celebrates its long love affair with cinema. Laura Havlin speaks with the brand’s head of global store design Marianne Lardilleux to discover why film is inherent to its DNA
By Laura Havlin Published
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich is a ‘miniature city’
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich aims to offer a case study in forward-thinking, contemporary architecture for healthcare
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Look inside Sixth&Blanco, Herzog & de Meuron’s first project in Texas
Step inside Sixth&Blanco by Herzog & de Meuron, as the Swiss studio reveals interior images of its first ever Texas design, a forward-thinking, sustainable and mixed-use scheme
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s SIP Main Campus weaves together nature and sculptural concrete
SIP Main Campus, a new workspace by Herzog & de Meuron, completes on the Swiss-French border
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Royal Academy’s Herzog & de Meuron show in London spotlights architecture for care
The Royal Academy of Arts launches its Herzog & de Meuron exhibition in London; we speak to them about the show, their approach to healthcare architecture and caring, and their rich body of work
By Amah-Rose Mcknight Abrams Published
-
AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre is ‘a landscape of different situations’
Tour AstraZeneca's brand new research and development hub, The Discovery Centre, designed by Herzog & de Meuron in Cambridge, UK
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
SongEun Art & Cultural Foundation marks Herzog & de Meuron’s South Korean debut
Herzog & de Meuron’s South Korean debut is a triangular triumph for ST International and its SongEun Art & Cultural Foundation in Seoul
By Andy St Louis Published
-
Herzog & de Meuron returns to Duisburg for MKM Museum Küppersmühle extension
Tour the new extension at the MKM Museum Küppersmühle in Duisburg, Germany, a cultural hub courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Step inside One Park Drive, Herzog & de Meuron’s first UK residential tower
We visit One Park Drive in Canary Wharf, Herzog & de Meuron’s new London completion, and the studio's very first residential high-rise in the UK
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated