Archinect - News

WHY Architecture faces lawsuit over San Francisco Asian Art Museum expansion project

2023-09-27T17:47:00-04:00

WHY Architecture has been named as a defendant in a new lawsuit by the Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco after allegedly failing to meet the institution’s design goals for a $38 million expansion project that was completed in March of 2020.

The suit was first entered in the County Superior Court in 2021. News of the action was made public via a museum press release this week, wherein the Foundation provided further details on what they said was a breach of contract related to its plan for the project that went over budget due to subsequent repairs.

“[The Pavilion] was delivered late, and as originally constructed, it failed to meet even the minimum museum-quality standards: it leaked in multiple locations, its interior environment was of inadequate quality, and its rooftop terrace was unusable. It was only through substantial intervention by the Foundation, at its own significant cost, that these major issues were identified and corrected, and a first-class, museum-qualit...

Construction completes on Renzo Piano's long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA

2021-03-10T20:42:00-05:00

Archinect's last report of the highly anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures reported the Museum's planned opening and potential delay due to Covid-19 concerns. Today, The Academy Museum announces its inaugural programming and the official public opening, which will occur on September 30, 2021. To kick start its public debut, the Museum kicks off with its virtual programs in April.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Exterior Rendering by Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Set to be "the largest institution in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking," the Museum will be another architectural feat to add to the city. With Renzo Piano and his team at the helm of the 300,000 square-foot museum campus, the general public was able to keep tabs on its progression over the years, especially with its giant spherical-shaped auditorium.

Featured on Archinect: Academy of Motion Pictures releases new construction photos of Renzo Piano-designed museum Image b...

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures: opening delayed again due to Covid-19 fears

2020-12-23T15:11:00-05:00

The much-heralded opening of the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles has been rescheduled from 30 April until 30 September of next year [...] Los Angeles is in the grip of restrictions imposed by the state as coronavirus cases soar, making it difficult to envision greeting visitors as museums currently are closed due to pandemic concerns.

"We are putting the final touches on our stunning exhibitions and public spaces, and while we were ready and eager to welcome visitors in the spring, with the current surge of COVID-19, it would be irresponsible to maintain an April opening," said Bill Kramer, Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. "We know a new day is coming for us all, and when it does, the Academy Museum will be ready to offer our visitors the remarkable experience we have all been wanting."

The Renzo Piano-designed 300,000 square-foot museum campus on LA's Wilshire Boulevard was originally scheduled to open in 2017.

Renzo Piano's Academy Museum of Motion Pictures receives LEED Gold Certification

2020-11-04T16:14:00-05:00

Slowly, slowly, LA's new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is inching towards its anticipated completion.

The LACMA-adjacent, Renzo Piano-designed 300,000 square-foot museum campus on Wilshire Boulevard was forced to push back several official opening dates — most recently, the December 14 opening was rescheduled to now April 30, 2021 — but there appears to be continued progress at the site: the project was recently awarded LEED Gold Certification for its environmental concept.

Bird's eye rendering © Renzo Piano Building Workshop/©Academy Museum Foundation/ Image from L’Autre Image

Contributing to the rating were high-performance indoor environmental systems, solar power systems, waste reduction programs, easy public transportation access, a rideshare pickup and drop-off point, bike racks, a storm water reuse system that feeds irrigation for the museum’s landscaping, and Green Building Education content that will be accessible onsite and online after the museum’s opening.

Firms invo...

Academy of Motion Pictures releases new construction photos of Renzo Piano-designed museum

2020-04-17T19:48:00-04:00

Despite many construction projects being put on hold across the U.S., some regions, including Los Angeles, have continued on with business as usual. Word of the LACMA demolition came to light during the second week of April, while a neighboring project is also making progress. In the weeks since Archinect's last coverage of Renzo Piano's Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, new photos and exhibition renders have been released.

With the museum set to open in December 2020, museum director Bill Kramer shares in a press statement that the programs and exhibitions featured will "illuminate the complex and fascinating world of cinema—its art, technology, artists, history, and social impact—through a variety of diverse and engaging voices."

Image by wHY architecture © Academy Museum Foundation

Image by Joshua White JWPictures © Academy Museum Foundation

Kramer also addresses the museum's construction progress during a global pandemic. "We are keenly aware that we’re working towards the openin...

wHY's new opera and ballet theater in Russia mimics the movement of dance and music

2020-02-07T18:02:00-05:00

wHY received approval from the city of Perm, Russa on the design of the new Tchaikovsky Academic Opera and Ballet Theater last month. Located at the heart of the city, the new building aims to become a focal point for the growing arts district along the Kama River. Accompanied by a new park, the development sits at the center of a cultural revitalization initiative spearheaded by the city's mayor, Dmitry Samoilov.

"Our goal is to create a new cultural landmark and an international destination for Perm and Russia, with a space that reflects the dynamism and creativity of the performances held within," said Andrija Stojic, director of wHY's New York office and Buildings Workshop. "I believe that music acts as a bridge between past and future: our design will embrace the history and local culture of Perm, while providing the world-class building that the Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet deserves to have."

The design challenges the typical theater typology that favors a closed-off, secluded...

wHY Architecture to design the Met's ambitious $70 million Rockefeller Wing renovation

2018-11-21T14:04:00-05:00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is moving forward with ambitious plans for a massive renovation and redesign of the New York museum's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Devoted to Africa, Oceania and the Americas, the forty-thousand-square-foot wing will be designed by the architect Kulapat Yantrasast and his firm wHY, and is expected to complete in 2023.

Over the years, Yantrasast's practice has built up a reputation for their modern and open art spaces. Their portfolio of projects includes the Speed Art Museum in Kentucky, Michigan's Grand Rapids Art Museum, and the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles. His previous works at the Harvard Art Museums and at the Art Institute of Chicago, in particular, attracted the attention of the team at the Met. Currently, Mr. Yantrasast is working on the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, as well as a youth arts center in neighboring Oakland.

Americas Gallery looking South. Image by wHY.

"I love art and I love discoveries," says Yantrasast. "For that...

From concept to development, wHY Architecture's youth arts center in East Palo Alto folds the community into the building process

2018-10-10T14:43:00-04:00

wHY Architecture's innovative partnership with EpaCenterArts has broken ground in East Palo Alto, coinciding with a community stakeholder event to celebrate the occasion on Saturday, October 13th.

The planned $50 million 21,000-square-foot EpaCenterArts, the construction for which began last month, will host an arts, design and music center for youth in the area. As one of the go-to designers for art spaces, Kulapat Yantrasast and his firm, which is currently working on the Asian Art Museum in nearby San Francisco, was a natural choice for the foundation.

Epacenter; Image by wHY + Luxingon.

Positioned at the center of Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto has struggled to maintain levels of equity among its residents as the region's booming tech economy continues to raise rents and home values. The youth center, funded by John & Marcia Goldman Foundation, is the result of a grassroots effort to address these external pressures by creating something for the community.

In response, Yantrasa...

Kulapat Yantrasast's quest for good spaces and inclusive minimalism

2018-05-24T15:21:00-04:00

Mr. Yantrasast has established his firm, wHY, as one of the go-to designers for art spaces, from galleries to museums and everything in between, as well as other civic and cultural projects. Mr. Yantrasast’s specialty has been what he calls “acupuncture architecture”: ingenious renovations of existing spaces and context-sensitive additions.

The New York Times features Thailand-born American architect, wHY founder, and former Tadao Ando designer, Kulapat Yantrasast, who is extremely busy right now completing beautifully minimalist temples to modernism around the world.

wHY reveals final approved design of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco

2017-09-26T14:55:00-04:00

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has tapped the Culver City-based firm wHY to design their new renovation and expansion plans. The architecture practice headed by Kulapat Yantrasast, has become known over the years for conjuring environments that suit the needs of art—the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan's Grand Rapids Art Museum, and the recently completed Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles are all past projects by the firm.

Renderings courtesy of © wHY

The original neoclassical structure was designed as San Francisco’s first Main Library in 1916 by Ecole des Beaux-Arts-trained architect George A. Kelham. The building was finally converted in 1996 by architect Gae Aulenti and has been home of the Asian Art Museum since 2003. Because the structure was constructed during the Civic Center Landmark District’s period of significance, wHY’s addition will have to insure the proposed project...

Calming Down and Speeding Up in Louisville with Steven Ward, on Archinect Sessions #78

2016-08-25T17:48:00-04:00

This week's show is dedicated to Louisville, and we're delighted to share the mic with longtime Archinect favorite Steven Ward. Steven is an architect and partner at Studio Kremer Architects, teacher and architecture critic/cheerleader for the local independent paper LEO Weekly. We discuss his recent writings, in particular his survey of the recently completed Speed Art Museum, and the differences between local architecture criticism vs national criticism. We also find out what's going on with OMA's Food Port project.

Listen to episode 78 of Archinect Sessions, "Calming Down and Speeding Up in Louisville":

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Shownotes:

Steven's writings at LEO Weekly

OMA...

It looks simple. Effortless. Crisp.

2016-04-11T12:37:00-04:00

As an experienced architect, able to extract from drawings an understanding of what they communicate, even I couldn’t fully assess the project from the images published. A perverse wisdom in wHY’s vague, non-photo-realistic choice of rendering style: It doesn’t limit the eventual choices, leaving room to operate as the design is brought to realization. This is brilliant because...

Archinect's own Steven Ward wrote about the newly opened Speed Art Museum expansion by wHY.

New Kulapat Yantrasast-designed Gagosian Gallery to open in San Francisco

2016-03-11T20:56:00-05:00

Larry Gagosian’s new 4500 square foot space, designed by Kulapat Yantrasast, is set to open up on May 18, 2016, on 657 Howard Street, right across the street from SFMoMA. The inaugural exhibition there will focus on the relationships between modern and contemporary sculpture and drawing, featuring work from Picasso and Joe Bradley, among others.

Interested in other content from the intersections of architecture and the art world? Check out these recent posts:

Albright-Knox Gallery announces short list of firms for $80m expansion: Snøhetta, BIG, OMA, wHY, Allied Works

2016-03-02T12:51:00-05:00

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery wants to create a public space that could rival Canalside while expanding and remaking one of the city’s most recognizable institutions. And gallery officials are looking to some of the most respected architects in the world to make it happen. They have narrowed the list of potential architects for the gallery’s upcoming expansion project to five firms with experience building in challenging urban environments.

Located in the historic, Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Delaware Park, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery is one of the major cultural hotspots of New York State's second largest city. Now, the contemporary and modern art gallery plans a major expansion of its facilities, which originally opened in 1905 and later gained an addition designed by Gordon Bushaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

The Albright-Knox Gallery announced a preliminary list of prominent designers, with a plan to select one by mid-June. The firms are:

Unlike with other architectural competitions, the Albright-Knox Galley has not asked the firms to submit a near-finalized design. Instead, they've incorporated a yearlong period into the planning process, in order to foster close collaboration with the chosen architects.

“We’re not in a design competition to choose a design and then build it. We’re in a process of choosing a partner,” Albright-Knox director Janne...

atelier WHY wins "Detroit Design 2102: Detroit Riverfront" with their entry "The Forest"

2012-12-12T17:16:00-05:00

Hyuntek Yoon and Soobum You, who go by atelier WHY, has sent us their 1st place entry for the Detroit Design 2102: Detroit Riverfront competition.

THE FOREST: Fairy tale between the City and the Forest

Many things fill the city and continue to do so. The act of “filling” is the virtue of urban development. For example, developers in the city of Detroit kept filling its voids. Many buildings and infrastructure have filled the city, and those became the symbol of Detroit. A rapid pace of growth is the result of such efforts to fill space. Downtown is represented by new businesses and the Renaissance of Detroit. Many skyscrapers filled the downtown Detroit area. However, the city needs space to breath. The city is far too compact to communicate with people and nature. Public spaces and nature are not enough. The site is located at the node of the radial street plan. The site needs to be filled in another way so that the city can breathe easily again. Currently, the site is filled...

Perry Rubenstein to Inaugurate Los Angeles Gallery With Helmut Newton, Neil Young

2012-05-09T13:52:00-04:00

The architect on the new gallery is the L.A.-based firm wHY Architecture, founded by Kulapat Yantrasast, who worked with Tadao Ando for 15 years, and designed the L.A. branch of New York gallery L&M Arts, in Venice Beach. The firm, Mr. Rubenstein says, was recommended to him by Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art director Jeffrey Deitch, a New York transplant himself.