As plans for his curved renovation of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art move forward, Peter Zumthor, Hon. FAIA, just received a commission for another art museum across the globe: Switzerland's Fondation Beyeler, a museum established in 1997 by the late art dealer Ernst Beyeler and his wife, Hildy.
The museum has tasked Zumthor with designing a new building on the museum's complex in Riehen, which currently contains a Renzo Piano, Hon. FAIA–designed museum building and an 18th-century villa that houses offices and a restaurant. This new building would be constructed in the nearby Iselin-Weber Park, adding more outdoor space to the existing 103,333-square-foot Berower Park that surrounds the main building.
The museum launched a design study for the project in March, and 11 firms were invited to participate: Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner, Christian Kerez, Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, Junya Ishigami + Associates, Made In Sàrl, SANAA, Smiljan Radic, Sou Fujimoto Architects, Souto Moura - Arquitectos, Studio Märkli, and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners.
Details about the Zumthor project at Fondation Beyeler are scheduled to be released in the coming months.
