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PROJECT, ARCHITECTURE 05.03.2018

Following the Traces

#museum #renovation #usa #cultural buildings #ltl architects

The renovation project by LTL Architects responds to the needs of the institution and its public program with spatial reconfigurations while preserving traces of previous transformations the 100-year-old building has gone through.

Formed from the merging of Arthouse and the Austin Museum of Art, The Contemporary Austin is a 23,800 square foot museum in the heart of Austin at 7th and Congress. The building presents a new identity for the newly formed organization, while simultaneously preserving and adding to the building’s rich history of transformations.

The most public aspect of the renovation comprises a perforated aluminum canopy that floats 23 feet above the roof deck, providing shelter from the elements for the popular outdoor space, and framing site specific art installations on the parapet. The canopy supports a retractable weather curtain, monumentally scaled at over 5,600 square feet, yet ephemeral in its presence. The ground floor is reconfigured to add 2,000 square feet of gallery space and the mezzanine is reimagined to create new offices for staff.

the contemporary austin, ltl architects, xxi magazine
Ground floor plan
2nd floor plan
2nd floor mezzanine plan
Roof plan

Key to the renovations, though less visible by design, are a series of alterations that provide increased capacity for large scale works of art and exhibitions, including enlarged access panels, a high capacity scissor lift, environmental control upgrades, and improvements to the building envelope. Great care is taken to preserve traces of the multiple operations performed on this 100-year-old building over time as it has served as a theatre, a department store, a local art center, and now a highly refined exhibition space for contemporary art from around the world.

Tags:

THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN-JONES CENTER
LTL ARCHITECTS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Leonid Furmansky
CREDITS

PAUL LEWIS

Lewis, FAIA received a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University. He is Professor and Associate Dean at Princeton University School of Architecture where he has taught since 2000. He has also taught at Ohio State University, Columbia and Barnard Colleges, The Cooper Union Chanin School of Architecture, and Parsons School of Design. Paul is a member of the Board of Directors of the Architectural League of New York, and a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome.

MARC TSURUMAKI

Tsurumaki, AIA received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and a visiting critic at Cornell AAP NYC. He has taught at a number of institutions including M.I.T., Parsons School of Design, Barnard and Columbia Colleges, Syracuse University, Kent State University and Yale University. He has served as a Trustee of the Van Alen Insitute, a panelist for the New York State Council of the Arts for Architecture and Design and is a General Services Administration National Peer.

DAVID J. LEWIS

Lewis, AIA holds a Master of Architecture from Princeton University, a Master of Arts in the History of Architecture and Urbanism from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton College. He is a tenured professor at Parsons School of Design and holds the honorary position of Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the University of Limerick, Ireland and serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Architecture. David has served as a member of the Advisory Council of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University since 2012.

Project Name: The ContemporAry Austin – Jones Center
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Architects: LTL Architects
Project Team: Paul Lewis, Marc Tsurumaki, David J. Lewis; Michael Schissel, Antonia Wai
Construction Manager: Zapalac/Reed Construction Company
MEP Engineer: Kent Consulting Engineers
Structural Engineer: MJ Structures
Lighting Designer: Lumen Architecture
Curtain Fabricator: Contract Workroom
Code Consultant: Austin Permit Service
Client Representative: Nelson Partners
Size: 23,800 sq ft

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