I’ve been walking the new Walker expansion grow for the last year or so, and it’s going to rock when it does open. I’ve always loved the museum1, and can’t wait for the reopening. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the architects behind the new space, seem to kick some real ass in designing a new venue for the coolest modern art museum I’ve ever been too.
But the Walker’s new tower is clad in a pattern of gray aluminum panels that fade into the dull Minneapolis skyline rather than engage the eye, a minor but unfortunate blemish on an otherwise enchanting design.
I disagree – I really like the aluminum panels. They shine – but not quite as much as stainless steel, and have wavy embossments in them which don’t fade into the skyline at all. Not what I would call a blemish, but tomato… But I guess it could have been even better:
The final version [...] is far less hypnotic, especially from a distance, where the intricately worked surfaces are barely visible.
1 googling for my name comes up with this, the webpage for something I did in fifth or sixth grade with the walker through my school. I’ve been ignoring it out of embarrassment for the last few years, but look at how kick-ass I am! But if I had know in advance this was all getting put on the internet I might have tried a little harder.