May 19

The Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago, by Renzo Piano

The Modern Wing by Renzo Piano is a $300 million extension to the Art Institute of Chicago. With its completion, the Institute is the second largest museum in the United States, behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The 25,000m² extension is the largest in the museum’s history and increases the total gallery space by 35 per cent and doubles the education space. It also features an outdoor sculpture terrace and a restaurant.

The Modern Wing consists of two pavilions with three floors of gallery space and amenities. Each floor has a full-height view of the surrounding city. The east pavilion houses the education center, photography, film, video and new media galleries and the museum’s permanent collection.

The west pavilion houses the museum shop, the visitor facilities, special exhibition galleries and the Architecture and Design gallery. The third floor connects the pavilions to Millennium Park via the Nichols Bridgeway.

A 216 ft wide sunshading device called ‘the flying carpet’ allows natural light into the upper floor galleries. The canopy of precisely modeled aluminum blades allows northern light into the third floor galleries through skylights while shielding the galleries from the more intense southern light.

Design Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with InterActive Design Inc.
Location: Chicago
Type of building: Museum/Gallery
Client: Art Institute of Chicago
Design Team:J. Moolhuijzen (partner in charge), D.Rat, C.Maxwell-Mahon with A.Belvedere, D.Colas, P.Colonna, O.Foucher, A.Gallissian, S.Giorgio-Marrano, H.Lee, W.Matthews, T.Mikdashi, J.B.Mothes, Y.Pagès, B.Payson, M.Reale, J.Rousseau, A.Stern, A.Vachette, C.von Däniken and K.Doerr, M.Gomes, J.Nakagawa; Y.Kyrkos, C.Colson, O.Aubert (models)
Program Manager: The Rise Group
Civil Engineer: Patrick Engineering Inc.
Electrical Engineer: Jose de Avila and Associates
Main Contractor: Turner Construction
Engineer: Ove Arup
Services Engineer: Ove Arup and Sebesta Blomberg
Lansdcape Architect: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd.
A/V Consultant: The Talaske Group
Cost Consultant: Morgan Construction Consultants
LEED Consultant: Carter Burgess
Start on site date: May 2005
Date of completion: May 2009
Gross internal floor area: 25,000m²
Total cost: $294 million for design and construction

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