Kimbell Art Museum

Kimbell Art Museum

Fort Worth, TX
Stuart-Lynn Company worked with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop on an extensive renovation and expansion of the Landmarked 1972 Kimbell Art Museum, by Louis Kahn. Located to the west of the original Museum, the new building subtly mirrors the Kahn building in height, scale and in the span of the façade, as well as in its tripartite plan and use of travertine and concrete as primary materials. It doubles the current amount of gallery space and is used for special exhibitions.
As in the Kahn building, natural light is diffused into the galleries. A striking cantilevered roof was designed to protect the glass front and interior from solar heat and glare. It also creates a great deal of shade and encourages movement between the two buildings. The roof was designed to provide energy savings through its incorporation of photo-voltaic panels and a green roof system. The museum also makes use of over eighty-five geo-thermal wells. These features reduce the new building’s energy requirements to half that of the Khan building. An important aspect of the scheme was the redirection of visitor entry through a new underground parking garage to the originally intended main entrance on the west side, with its tree lined court flanked by pools and porticos.

Size: 148,000 sf
Completion: 2013
Architect: Kendall Heaton Associates, Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Engineer: Arup, Guy Nordenson and Associates