Berkeley Art Museum’s Secret Architect Suitors
Author:Lindsey ShookTen letters, ten firms. The design community is in serious speculation mode about which ten firms will be receiving letters from the folks at the Berkley Art Museum (which were apparently already sent out), courting them and their architectural prowess to jump in the ring and battle it out for the design of the new museum. Or, er, the new-ish, museum. As you probably know, the initial plans were for a brand-new structure designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, but then the world ran out of money, Berkeley included (your bubble didn’t do you much good there, Berkeley-ites!)
The new plan is to adapt a UC printing plant from 1939 and turn it into a glittering new museum. And while I love wacky new buildings, I love dramatic renovations even more. The only clues BAM/PFA has given is that the firms are all North American, but the design sleuths down on the ground (John King, Architects Newspaper, SFCurbed) believe they have successfully sniffed out seven of the ten:
Bernard Tschumi Architects
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Will Bruder + Partners
Ann Beha
Snøhetta
Rafael Viñoly
Frederick Fisher
Anyone care to fill in the blanks?
