When it comes to program, the Menil Drawing Institute (MDI) will be a truly unique museum. According to Sharon Johnston, one of the founding partners of the Los Angeles–based firm behind the project, Johnston Marklee, the building is “the first freestanding building in the United States dedicated solely to works on paper.” But while the stunning artworks on display will showcase this most ancient of analog materials, the museum that houses them is being brought to fruition by powerful new digital tools.
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Johnston Marklee has been using Microsoft’s Surface Bookduring the contstruction phase of the project, testing its ability to handle modeling software usually reserved for high-power desktop computers. To compete with Apple’s MacBook and other top-end PC laptops, different versions of the Book are equipped with Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 16GB of memory and an optional NVIDIA GeForce GPU. With these heavy-hitting specifications, Microsoft promises that with Surface Book, you can “create, CAD and code without limitations.”
The design team gathers with the Surface Book to discuss design developments.
Scale model of the project
So, how did the hardware fare? One of the architects working on the Menil Drawing Institute, Nicholas Hofstede, was impressed with how smoothly the laptop ran heavy-duty programs despite its slim, lightweight build. “We have been using the Surface Book now for a few weeks,” explains Hofstede. “The screen looks great, the graphics card is really seamless … all of the programs that we use are completely compatible. Before, when we had an iPad, it just didn’t run software that we need. The Surface Book really enables us to do everything.”
Renderings of the project illustrate how light entering the interior will be regulated by the strategic planting of trees and plants throughout each courtyard.
The project itself is an exercise in subtlety. “[The Menil Campus] has a sort of rawness and … [an] everyday quality that makes it really accessible,” says Johnston. “This was a touchstone for us when we began thinking about the Menil Drawing Institute as a much smaller building, housing much more delicate work … We didn’t want it to have this kind of slickness that would make the drawings feel inconsequential to the strength of the architecture.”
The resulting design is an elegant marriage between building and park, comprising a series of low-pitched roofs over gallery spaces that frame tree-filled courtyards. The low profile of the building allows dappled light to enter the interior through the trees, offering controlled natural illumination for spaces that act as an understated backdrop for the museum’s delicate artifacts.
The power of the Surface Book can handle all types of CAD software, meaning that projects can be developed on the laptop at all stages from concept design to construction details.
This minimal approach meant that detailing for the project would be crucial, and the flexibility of the Surface Book — it instantly converts into a touchscreen tablet — allowed the whole design team to gather around and consider the key junctions as it drafted the construction documentation. Ultimately, the laptop’s versatility is the quality that helps architects with arguably the most important aspect of the design process: the ability to work together. “The issue of collaboration for us is super-important,” remarks Johnston. “The Surface Book helps us look at things from … many different perspectives, which is how our design process develops. I think our team is giddy about it frankly.”
Upon its completion in 2017, the Institute looks set to form a new landmark for Houston, and will constitute a prestigious new addition to the portfolio of Johnston Marklee. For more information on and images of the firm’s work, explore their in-depth profile here, and for a rundown of the other studios testing the credentials of Surface Book, check out our preview feature here.