After years of extensive works, the Speed Art Museum in Kentucky is finally ready to reopen its doors and unveil its spectacular renovation and brand new extension. Endearingly referred to by locals as 'the Speed', the new museum complex, designed by internationally renowned architect Kulapat Yantrasast and his firm wHY, was executed in collaboration with the Louisville architecture firm KNBA.
When the museum decided to kick start its significant makeover, transforming its existing 1927 Neoclassical structure built by Arthur Loomis, they began an international search for the right firm. Whittling down a long list of over 100 candidates to just eight, the board members were won over by wHY’s proposal, coined by Yantrasast ‘acupuncture architecture,’ which secured the sought-after commission.
The idea behind ‘acupuncture architecture’ came up quite early in the project's development. ‘Rather than create a stand-alone expansion, we wanted to activate the original building from multiple points in order to heal the whole,’ explains Yantrasast.
The museum’s new extension – named the 'North Pavilion' – features a facade of concrete, metal and fritted glass. A wide internal staircase is also visible through the transparent exterior. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a series of free-flowing areas, such as an indoor/outdoor auditorium, an entry hall and a double-height light and airy lobby, which includes a suspended steel structure by contemporary artist Spencer Finch.
The new wing's public services are decentralised to create an unexpected path of exploration for visitors. wHY aimed for ‘openness and transparency’ when planning the interior program, emphasising a relationship to its context with numerous views out to the surrounding landscape, outdoor piazzas and the nearby University of Louisville, Belknap campus.
The new and old parts are linked through a suspended bridge. This connection supplies a view over the newly excavated atrium in the North Pavilion and gives access to the once hard to reach educational program area within the building’s basement.
When entering the North Pavillion lobby, which looks over the original museum building, visitors are greeted by a series of free-flowing areas
The spacious and bright lobby features a site-specific, suspended piece by contemporary artist Spencer Finch
The new space host a series of new and contemporary galleries and a set of decentralized public amenities, such as a museum shop, cafe and cinema
The museum's new entrance point includes a public area with a piazza and water feature, providing visitors and students of the nearby university campus with an outdoor area to socialise
INFORMATION
For more information on the Speed Art Museum, visit wHY’s website
Photography: Rafael Gamo
ADDRESS
Speed Art Museum
2035 S 3rd St
Louisville
KY 40208
United States
-
Wallpaper* Gift Guides: What beauty editor Mary Cleary has on her wishlistWallpaper* contributing beauty editor Mary Cleary shares the items she is hoping to unwrap this holiday season – from transporting fragrances to a must-have skincare device
-
A Dutch visitor centre echoes the ‘rising and turning’ of the Wadden SeaThe second instalment in Dorte Mandrup’s Wadden Sea trilogy, this visitor centre and scientific hub draws inspiration from the endless cycle of the tide
-
Hyundai is the latest car company to get into robotics: meet the Mobile Eccentric DroidThe MobED is a new product from Hyundai’s Robotics LAB, pitched at last-mile delivery and industrial applications
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
-
Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
-
An ocean-facing Montauk house is 'a coming-of-age, a celebration, a lair'A Montauk house on Hither Hills, designed by Hampton architects Oza Sabbeth, is wrapped in timber and connects its residents with the ocean
