This article was first published in the November 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
The tiny openings in this giant honeycomb structure may all look similar, but they actually comprise 300 different shapes. The glass-fibre reinforced-concrete (GFRC) veil engulfing The Broad art museum in Los Angeles is designed to diffuse light perfectly inside its gallery, keeping the use of electric lighting to a minimum whilst shielding the artwork from damaging direct sunlight.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the New York-based studio that designed The Broad, used Digital Project -- the software used to design the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao -- to simulate the interplay between sunlight and the veil, and fine-tune the shape of its panels. "The software allowed us to trace the Sun throughout the day, every day of the year, and through every single opening of the veil," explains Elizabeth Diller, the studio's principal architect. "We were able to see when there was any kind of transgression of light and fix it immediately."
GFRC's matt quality and the position of the building -- it faces north -- also helped attain the intended light effect. "It's a kind of cinematographic feeling," says Diller, 60.
Too much or too little light wasn't the only threat to The Broad museum's art and visitors: in a city constantly worrying about "the Big One", the studio also had to put in place some solid anti-seismic measures. The solution: to design the veil and the main building (or vault) as two distinct elements. "Everything would move at a slightly different tempo," Diller says. In the event of an earthquake, the veil is designed to rock independently, sliding on a 15-metre-long steel beam embedded in the pavement below to protect the rest of the structure from destructive vibrations. So while the building will inevitably be shaken at some point after its September reopening, the works of art inside should remain relatively unscathed.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
