Josef Helfenstein, director of the Menil Collection, announced the appointment of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) to enhance and expand the landscape design of the institution’s 30-acre campus in the heart of Houston. The appointment signals the beginning of implementation of the Menil’s master plan for its urban “neighborhood of art,” as the enclave of museum buildings, green spaces, and bungalows has been called.
The Menil expects to begin site preparation for the first phase of the MVVA design in Fall 2013.
The Menil’s project, undertaken on the basis of a master site plan by David Chipperfield Architects, calls for the creation of additional green space and walkways, new visitor amenities such as a cafe, and the addition of new buildings for art. Existing facilities include the main museum building by Renzo Piano (recently recognized with the AIA 25 Year Award); the Cy Twombly Gallery (also by Piano); and Richmond Hall, which houses light installations by Dan Flavin. The first new art building on campus will be the Menil Drawing Institute, a freestanding center for the exhibition, collection, conservation and study of modern and contemporary drawings, to be designed by the Los Angeles-based firm Johnston Marklee.
MVVA’s work will begin with the creation of a new entrance sequence on the north side of the Menil’s campus. The landscape design will welcome visitors from the parking area off West Alabama Street to the new Menil café (envisioned for construction in one of the bungalows) and the main museum building beyond.
“The enjoyment of the garden-like outdoor spaces is essential to the Menil Collection,” Josef Helfenstein commented. “The feeling here of appreciating art is closely tied to the experience of crossing a green space under our magnificent trees as you go from one gallery building to another. We know that the superb design work of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is ideally suited to our setting, and we are delighted to start with the firm’s team as we begin to realize our aspirations for this campus.”
Considered one of the most important privately assembled collections of the twentieth century, with holdings that range from the prehistoric to the art of the present day, the Menil Collection opened in 1987. Over the course of a quarter of a century, the Menil has established an international reputation for presenting acclaimed exhibitions and producing scholarly publications; pioneering partnerships with other cultural and education institutions across Houston, Texas and the United States; and conducting groundbreaking research into the conservation of modern and contemporary art. The Menil charges no admission fee. www.menil.org.