Museum Of Fine Arts Houston At 1001 Bissonnet St.

[jmitch94]

30 minutes ago, DarklyMoron said:

Not entirely surprising, but it was announced today that the opening has been pushed back from November 1st to November 21st.

Press release: https://www.mfah.org/press/mfah-announces-inaugural-installations-kinder-building

Chronicle: https://preview.houstonchronicle.com/art-exhibits/here-s-when-you-can-visit-mfah-s-new-kinder-15567959

 

That date felt a bit ambitious before the pandemic. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by jmitch94

[rgarza]

Quick update from the inside, museum staff have started moving in. There’s still quite a bit to do, but they are starting to move some art into the building. Of course, it’s not on display yet, but it is there! Barring any other major setbacks due to hurricanes or whatever, I think the new opening date is entirely doable. 

[mls1202]

rgarza, do you know what material the curved ceilings are made of?  In some pics it looks like fabric sails (with what looks like grommets along the edge), while others look like plaster.

[rgarza]

2 hours ago, mls1202 said:

rgarza, do you know what material the curved ceilings are made of?  In some pics it looks like fabric sails (with what looks like grommets along the edge), while others look like plaster.

It’s plaster. Fabric sails would’ve been cool, but I imagine it’d be a nightmare to keep clean. 

[H-Town Man]

It's like Georgia O'Keefe designed an ice chest.

 

[MidCenturyMoldy]

Does anyone have any nighttime photos? I wanna see the glow!

[Houston19514]

Interesting article in The Architect's Newspaper:

 

 

Dazzling Glaze: Steven Holl Architects tames the harsh Houston glare with clever massing and opaque tubular glass

 

[clutchcity94]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:16 AM, rgarza said:

It’s plaster. Fabric sails would’ve been cool, but I imagine it’d be a nightmare to keep clean. 

@rgarza When do you think y’all will be testing the illuminated tubes at night...anytime soon? Would love to see how it looks lit up!

[cloud713]

On 9/15/2020 at 5:22 PM, rgarza said:

Quick update from the inside, museum staff have started moving in. There’s still quite a bit to do, but they are starting to move some art into the building. Of course, it’s not on display yet, but it is there!

Have they moved in the Kusama room?

[MidCenturyMoldy]

23 hours ago, clutchcity94 said:

@rgarza When do you think y’all will be testing the illuminated tubes at night...anytime soon? Would love to see how it looks lit up!

I found this photo of a model of the building at night a day or so ago. I’d never seen it before. It’s definitely better than the original model we’ve all seen.

Edited September 23, 2020 by MidCenturyMoldy

[rgarza]

On 9/22/2020 at 3:15 PM, clutchcity94 said:

@rgarza When do you think y’all will be testing the illuminated tubes at night...anytime soon? Would love to see how it looks lit up!

Not sure. They were lighting up at night for a while but stopped recently. Not too sure why, but I can assure you it does look pretty cool when it’s lit up. 

14 hours ago, cloud713 said:

Have they moved in the Kusama room?

Yes, I saw it out of the corner of my eye as I was walking by last week and was instantly mesmerized. And that was just from seeing through the door from twenty feet away!

[rgarza]

41 minutes ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I found this photo of a model of the building at night a day or so ago. I’d never seen it before. It’s definitely better than the original model we’ve all seen.

Looks about right. The only difference I can see is there is no longer a canopy at the entrance. Also, when I saw it lit up the light wasn’t quite that bright white, but I think this does give a good idea of what it’ll look like. 

[mls1202]

16 hours ago, rgarza said:

Looks about right. The only difference I can see is there is no longer a canopy at the entrance. Also, when I saw it lit up the light wasn’t quite that bright white, but I think this does give a good idea of what it’ll look like. 

@rgarza, are those lights:

1) "windows" through the concrete wall?

2) light panels behind the glass tubes?

3) or do I have it all wrong and these are lights external to the glass and are actually shining on the outside?

[DarklyMoron]

Both 1 & 2. The actual windows through the concrete (which are relatively few) are being augmented with some fictional "windows" placed on the concrete. (My husband works at the museum. I'm pretty sure that that's public information.)

Edited September 24, 2020 by DarklyMoron
Full disclosure

[MidCenturyMoldy]

1 hour ago, DarklyMoron said:

Both 1 & 2. The actual windows through the concrete (which are relatively few) are being augmented with some fictional "windows" placed on the concrete. (My husband works at the museum. I'm pretty sure that that's public information.)

 

Here's the building before the tubes were in place. As you say, it looks like there are real windows and window-shaped indentations in the concrete. 

[MarathonMan]

On 9/23/2020 at 2:47 PM, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I found this photo of a model of the building at night a day or so ago. I’d never seen it before. It’s definitely better than the original model we’ve all seen.

The model/rendering looks cool.  I’m still bummed that the most interesting aspect of the exterior design (imho) — the roof — will go largely unseen.  Although, it should translate to a spectacular ceiling on the inside.

[rgarza]

20 minutes ago, MarathonMan said:

The model/rendering looks cool.  I’m still bummed that the most interesting aspect of the exterior design (imho) — the roof — will go largely unseen.  Although, it should translate to a spectacular ceiling on the inside.

Best view of the roof will be from the top of the Glassel School, and you’re right about the interior ceilings - spectacular!

[Sunstar]

6 hours ago, MarathonMan said:

The model/rendering looks cool.  I’m still bummed that the most interesting aspect of the exterior design (imho) — the roof — will go largely unseen.  Although, it should translate to a spectacular ceiling on the inside.

agreed, the building will appear very blocky and imposing from street level. Wish they could have brought some of those sweeping design elements down into the facade a bit.

[DarklyMoron]

Well, this is a Steven Holl building. Glowing crystalline boxes are sort of his thing. If you want swooping sculptural forms, get yourself a Gehry.  The challenge with museum buildings is that they aren’t great candidates for bold undulating form. Curators and conservators would be thrilled with hermetically-sealed boxes. Windows and curved walls are the enemy. Overall, I think Holl has done a good job of breaking-up the large mass with the 7 insets, the cantilevered sections and the diaphanous cladding. And the true test will be how it works as gallery space inside. But, you’re right. It is a blocky building in the end.

[Sunstar]

2 hours ago, DarklyMoron said:

Well, this is a Steven Holl building. Glowing crystalline boxes are sort of his thing. If you want swooping sculptural forms, get yourself a Gehry.  The challenge with museum buildings is that they aren’t great candidates for bold undulating form. Curators and conservators would be thrilled with hermetically-sealed boxes. Windows and curved walls are the enemy. Overall, I think Holl has done a good job of breaking-up the large mass with the 7 insets, the cantilevered sections and the diaphanous cladding. And the true test will be how it works as gallery space inside. But, you’re right. It is a blocky building in the end.

yeah, Gehry is on the other extreme for me. I never could figure out how the interior of his buildings are even usable. In this case, just a little bit of slice would have been nice 😊. But I’m still waiting for the end product and hoping to be pleasantly surprised. I’m hoping the gardens and reflecting pools offset the imposing facade a bit and create a pleasant pedestrian experience. 

[pablog]

Steven Holl designed the chapel at my university, Seattle University, and the interior is one of the most thought provoking, peaceful, and transcendent spaces I’ve been in.

 

i am excited about the interior of this space. He’s an expert at how light works inside of the building 

[MarathonMan]

I understand that this is a Holl building and that glowing boxes are sort of his thing.  It’s a fine building, and I’m sure the interior will be nice and functional.  Safe with a little twist, in my opinion.  I’m just waiting for Houston to commission a “take your breath away” piece of architecture that makes people worldwide go, “Whoa!”  I think we missed an opportunity to really advertise Houston’s impressive cultural establishment to the world.   I’d submit places like Bilbao, Denver, Mexico City, Antwerp, Valencia, Hanoi, Paris, Alberta, Minneapolis have seized their opportunity more effectively.

Edited September 27, 2020 by MarathonMan

[pablog]

4 minutes ago, MarathonMan said:

I understand that this is a Holl building and that glowing boxes are sort of his thing.  It’s a fine building, and I’m sure the interior will be nice and functional.  Safe with a little twist, in my opinion.  I’m just waiting for Houston to commission a “take your breath away” piece of architecture that makes people worldwide go, “Whoa!”  I think we missed an opportunity really advertise Houston’s impressive cultural establishment to the world.   Places like Bilbao, Denver, Mexico City, Antwerp, Valencia, Hanoi, Paris, Alberta, Minneapolis seized their opportunity more effectively.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I definitely like this building more than the majority of those in your post. Some take my breath away in a bad sense. But everyone has their own opinion, which is the beauty of art/architecture! 

[iah77]

25 minutes ago, MarathonMan said:

I understand that this is a Holl building and that glowing boxes are sort of his thing.  It’s a fine building, and I’m sure the interior will be nice and functional.  Safe with a little twist, in my opinion.  I’m just waiting for Houston to commission a “take your breath away” piece of architecture that makes people worldwide go, “Whoa!”  I think we missed an opportunity to really advertise Houston’s impressive cultural establishment to the world.   I’d submit places like Bilbao, Denver, Mexico City, Antwerp, Valencia, Hanoi, Paris, Alberta, Minneapolis have seized their opportunity more effectively.

I think people forget that the centerpiece of the MFAH is the Mies Van der Rohe building and anything built around it needs to converse with it and be harmonious. Almost all the buildings you posted are the center pieces of new urban renewal districts or major real estate projects. I personally think the museum should have opened a concept like PS1 by Moma/Tate Modern in a part of the city that needs revitalization or an attraction. Something iconic on the bayou or east end. I think the museum's main campus is already so large and over whelming it would have been nice to have two sites. 

[DarklyMoron]

I expect that we may see some compare/contrast discussion between the MFAH’s new building and the planned LA County Museum. LA will have that ‘wow’ factor you’re craving, but I expect most critics will see the MFAH’s building as more successful. Bilbao, the Guggenheim in NY, and LA County are examples of eye-catching architecture that are very compromised as museums, where the architecture has supremacy over the art it’s supposed to display. Our own Menil is one of the more revered museum buildings in the country, not because it’s showy, but because of it’s sublime galleries. That said, I agree that Houston is lacking in the iconic landmark category.

[clutchcity94]

45 minutes ago, DarklyMoron said:

That said, I agree that Houston is lacking in the iconic landmark category.

That’s what Transco Tower is for! 😁

[hindesky]

Secret door to replace the lights.

[Houston19514]

On 9/25/2020 at 7:27 PM, Sunstar said:

agreed, the building will appear very blocky and imposing from street level. Wish they could have brought some of those sweeping design elements down into the facade a bit.

 

Perhaps blocky, but it really doesn't seem imposing at all from street level.  It looks quite large from above, but doesn't seem that large from the street/sidewalk. 

By the way, yes, the lights behind the glad tubes are on (at least they are this evening).

[rgarza]

The effect is somewhat diminished by the sunrise, but this is what it looks like lit up...

[kennyc05]

I think they should light the whole building up 😐

[ErickEdgar]

[mls1202]

Wow, that is a LOT brighter than I expected!

[DarklyMoron]

If MFAH is looking for input, I vote for the fully backlit lighting rather than the 'window' lighting. 

[Stone]

Testing the lighting again last night:

 

[gene]

super cool! love it!

[hindesky]

[Houston19514]

Another nice article about the Kinder building.

[hindesky]

[MidCenturyMoldy]

Found this video on youtube which really gives an idea of the size and complexity of this project. 

 

[rgarza]

Just a couple of shots of art that has already been installed and the entrance gardens starting to come together.

[MidCenturyMoldy]

6 minutes ago, rgarza said:

Just a couple of shots of art that has already been installed and the entrance gardens starting to come together.

I am soooo excited about the opening of this building and yet I have no idea how long it will be before I actually get to see it in person. 😩

[monarch]

^^^ @MidCenturyMoldy props for the wonderful/compelling video that you supplied.  the overall construction process of this burgeoning and truly important edifice... is simply AWE INSPIRING/STUNNING.

[clutchcity94]

They started construction on this back in 2015?!?

[Houston19514]

30 minutes ago, clutchcity94 said:

They started construction on this back in 2015?!?

 

No.  Mid-2017.  I saw they mentioned 2015 in that video (later they refer to 2017).  I suspect 2015 is when they started the overall project (i.e., started redevelopment of the Glassell)

[rgarza]

48 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

 

No.  Mid-2017.  I saw they mentioned 2015 in that video (later they refer to 2017).  I suspect 2015 is when they started the overall project (i.e., started redevelopment of the Glassell)

This is correct. 2015 is when they started the overall project, starting with the Glassell school. There have been numerous unforeseen delays (Harvey, COVID, etc.) that have made this into a five year project instead of the originally projected 2019 date. 

[jmitch94]

One of my Fraternity brothers from UH was in the video! Thanks for posting, Ill have to text him. 

[MidCenturyMoldy]

On 10/18/2020 at 2:18 PM, rgarza said:

 

 

This sculpture 👆 really should be installed directly in front of the stepped seating in the Glassell. I almost fell off while photographing.  

Edited October 20, 2020 by MidCenturyMoldy

[hindesky]

The final push to release this to the Museum.

[rgarza]

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

The final push to release this to the Museum.

First and second floor galleries are pretty much done and have art installed. Third floor is nearing completion and should see art being moved in probably this week. Missing tube glass should be here first week of November. I’m so excited for everyone else to see this building. We’ve worked so hard to get to this point and it’s gratifying to see the excitement in the larger community!

[rgarza]

Third floor gallery barrel ceilings...