“Steven Holl Architects’ Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is a thoughtfully designed statement building that fully integrates with the museum’s other structures.
For inspiration, Steven Holl and his design partner Chris McVoy revisited their groundbreaking Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. While that was a stately procession of luminous glass pavilions, the Kinder Building offers only a single colossal form, its triangular site determining its angular shape. Mr. Holl’s challenge was to break up what would otherwise be a monolithic mass. His solution was to slice seven deep notches into the building, breaking it up into pavilion-like blocks, each corresponding to a suite of galleries inside. This profusion of openings is pleasantly welcoming in character, and is made more so by the pools and plantings that make each of these cuts a miniature garden.
As a place for viewing art, and in terms of sheer sensational impact, the Kinder is a triumph. It is impressive by day or night, adroitly integrated into its site, and—best of all—designed with special consideration for the ease and comfort of its users.”
– Michael J. Lewis
Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.
Photo © Richard Barnes