Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

The pocket park designed by OLIN created a new place for interaction on the street facade, taking the strengths of the original architecture and reengaging the site. The Gunnar Birkets steel parallelogram building presented an objectified image to the street, disengaged and perched remotely on a stark lawn. The need for a building renovation provided the opportunity for a public space to be added to the museum district. Keeping within the vocabulary of contemporary art, the space was designed utilizing just a few bold gestures. The addition of a circular fountain, a low serpentine wall, a nearly rectilinear plant bed, and a double row of Mexican Sycamores along the street complement and engage the architecture and integrate the site.

Location
Houston, TX

Owner
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

Status
Completed 1998

Key Team Members
Laurie Olin, Partner-in-Charge
Lucinda Sanders, Associate

Awards
1998, Texas Society of Architects Design Award