Blum & Poe 2009

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Blum & Poe 2009

Firm

Escher GuneWardena Architecture

Type

Cultural › Gallery

YEAR

2009

Across the street from the 2003 Blum & Poe gallery, also designed by Escher GuneWardena, the new project will be one of the largest contemporary art galleries in Los Angeles, occupying a total of 21,000 sq.ft. with a 19,000 sq.ft. private outdoor space.The new complex combines all of the gallery's needs, from exhibition spaces to administration and storage, under one roof. The various programmatic elements are arranged in interlocking spatial blocks, which extend across the entire building, from La Cienega Boulevard on one side to a private garden on the other. The raw aesthetic qualities of the exterior -- where newly poured concrete forms massive concrete frames around new openings and fills in abandoned openings scarring in the original block wall -- contrasts with the refined museum-like spaces of the interior. At the center are three exhibition spaces of varying sizes, forming a circulation loop, and a separate private viewing room. All galleries are naturally lit by a calibrated system of light wells with clerestory windows. The galleries are reached via a narrow, long lobby space, which connects the front and the rear entrances. A 2400-square-foot project space for independently curated exhibitions is located on the upper level.