Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum by Zaha Hadid, Michigan

Fresh from the success of her Olympics Aquatics Centre, Zaha Hadid has a dozen new projects to help build the momentum. But none is as imminent as the Broad Art Museum, a contemporary gallery on the Michigan State University campus, scheduled to open its doors this autumn.
The structure is Hadid-esque in its asymmetrical dynamism, a magnificent foil for the gothic brick campus it aims to nudge into the future. The elongated design edged out competition from established firms such as Coop Himmelb(l)au, Morphosis and even Kohn Pedersen Fox, providing a huge coup for the architect once known as a master of the unbuilt.
The launch of the new 4,000 sq m Broad, named for the benefactors Eli and Edythe Broad, marks the expansion of an institutional collection heavy with antiquities and Old Masters to one rich with modern and postmodern work - thanks to a growing list of acquisitions from Jenny Holzer, Chuck Close, Ann Hamilton and Jeff Koons. Future exhibitions will emphasise young, experimental artists in a range of media.
Hadid's design complements this movement with aplomb, appearing to lunge toward the central campus at a peak height of 12 metres. Her multifaceted façade, composed of glass and stainless-steel 'pleats' (at every angle save for 90 degrees) reflects movement from all directions, stirring curiosity and drawing people in, yet changing in appearance with every step.
Outside, various walking paths that thread in and out of campus and circle the adjacent sculpture garden form an 'urban carpet', a pedestrian plaza, meeting place or simply a point of interest for academics and the wider city.
Of course, any Hadid project becomes a point of interest, and in this midwestern college town of 50,000 it is entirely apropos. The Hadid name, like the museum itself, is a harbinger for the questioning and understanding of new, modern ideas.
Hadid's elongated design for the contemporary gallery, situated on the Michigan State University campus, edged out competition from established firms such as Coop Himmelb(l)au, Morphosis and even Kohn Pedersen Fox
The structure's asymmetrical dynamism is a magnificent foil for the gothic brick campus it aims to nudge into the future
The launch of the new 4,000 sq m Broad, named for the benefactors Eli and Edythe Broad, marks the expansion of an institutional collection heavy with antiquities and Old Masters to one rich with modern and postmodern work
... thanks to a growing list of acquisitions from Jenny Holzer, Chuck Close, Ann Hamilton and Jeff Koons. Future exhibitions will emphasise young, experimental artists in a
range of media
Outside, various walking paths that thread in and out of campus and circle the adjacent sculpture garden form an 'urban carpet', a pedestrian plaza, meeting place or simply a point of interest for academics and the wider city
Hadid's design complements this movement with aplomb, appearing to lunge toward the central campus at a peak height of 12 metres.
The multifaceted façade, composed of glass and stainless-steel 'pleats' (at every angle save for 90 degrees) reflects movement from all directions
A view of the Broad Art Museum's café space
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.
-
Peek inside Uchronia’s celadon green suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
The Paris-based studio teamed up with Pantone to transform a suite at the storied hotel into an aquatic dreamscape. Here’s how to check in
-
This legendary villa was built for the Cuban government. Now it’s The Future Perfect’s new Miami gallery
With Villa Paula, the boundary-pushing collectible design gallery expands its footprint
-
Hassan Hajjaj's vibrant portraits put Moroccan women at the centre of the story
For more than three decades, the visual artist has been making portraits that centre Moroccan culture, albeit through a subversive lens. Now, an exhibition in Toronto explores the sporty facet of his portraits
-
Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into boulders
The American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
-
Ballman Khaplova creates a light-filled artist’s studio in upstate New York
This modest artist’s studio provides a creative with an atelier and office in the grounds of an old farmhouse, embedding her practice in the surrounding landscape
-
The most important works of modernist landscape architecture in the US
Modernist landscapes quite literally grew alongside the modern architecture movement. Field specialist and advocate Charles A. Birnbaum takes us on a tour of some of the finest examples
-
Jeanne Gang’s single malt whisky decanter offers a balance ‘between utility and beauty’
The architect’s whisky decanter, 'Artistry in Oak', brings a sculptural dimension to Gordon & MacPhail's single malt
-
An idyllic slice of midcentury design, the 1954 Norton House has gone on the market
Norton House in Pasadena, carefully crafted around its sloping site by Buff, Straub & Hensman, embodies the Californian ideal of the suburban modern house embedded within a private landscape
-
Oystra is ZHA’s sculptural vision for living in the United Arab Emirates
Meet the team translating ZHA’s bold concept for the new development into ‘a community elevated by architecture’ – Dewan Architects + Engineers and developer Richmind
-
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Calder Gardens in Philadelphia
The new cultural landmark presents Alexander Calder’s work in dialogue with nature and architecture, alongside the release of Jacques Herzog’s 'Sketches & Notes'. Ellie Stathaki interviews Herzog about the project.
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'
Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde