Museo Soumaya opened to the public on March 29, 2011 after four years of
development. The Museo Soumaya houses one of the most important art
collections in Latin America with over 6,200 artworks and 60,000
square feet of exhibition space.
The Soumaya Museum is located in a former industrial zone dating from
the 1940’s which today presents a very high commercial potential. The
Soumaya Museum plays a key role in the reconversion of the area: as a
preeminent cultural program, it acts as an initiator in the
transformation of the urban perception. Its avant-garde morphology and
typology define a new paradigm in the history of Mexican
and international architecture.
From the outside, the building is an organic and asymmetrical shape that
is perceived differently by each visitor, while reflecting the
diversity of the collection on the inside. Its heterogeneous collection
is housed in a continuous exhibition space spread over six levels,
representing approximately 60,000 ft². The building also includes an
auditorium for 350 people, library, offices, a restaurant, a gift shop
and a multi-purpose gathering lounge.
The shell of the building is constructed with 28 steel curved columns of
different diameters, each with its own geometry and shape, offering the
visitor a soft non-linear circulation all through the building. Located
at each floor level, seven ring beams provide a system that braces the
structure and guarantees its stability. The top floor is the most
generous space of the museum; its roof is suspended from an impressive
cantilever that allows natural daylight to flow in freely. In contrast,
the building’s envelope is nearly opaque, offering little and scarce
openings to the outside. This gesture can be interpreted as an
intention to create a protected shelter for the art collection. The
façade is made of hexagonal aluminum modules that optimize the
preservation and durability of the entire building.
“The Museo Soumaya is an extraordinary structure rising up from
the earth’s crust as a multi-dimensional icon,” Raymund Ryan,
Curator,
The Heinz Architectural Center.
Completion: March 2011
Client/Owner: Fundación Carlos Slim
Architect Office: FREE Fernando Romero EnterprisE
General Contractor: CARSO Infraestructura y Contrucción
Interior Design: FREE + MYT/ CEO-Andrés Mier y Teran
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