The Art Musuem, Bildmuseet, at Umeå University is situated at the new Arts Campus by the Umeälven river. The campus also comprises the Academy of Fine Arts, The Institute of Desgin and the new School of Architecture.The
consolidation of artistic institutes and exhibition facilities is based on a
close collaboration between various companies with a view to allow art, design
and architecture to benefit from one another. Umeå's position as a centre of
art and education is strengthened with a new silhouette by the river.
In its previous facilities, the museum has
displayed international contemporary art and classic art-historical exhibitions
side by side since 1981. The new museum more than doubles the exhibition area
and, with its protruding, visible location by the river, it will become a new
landmark in the area.
The tower comprises three exhibition halls
placed upon each other - with inserted floor plans featuring the auditorium,
children’s workshops and administration. The large, square exhibition halls are
free from structural elements and offer ample daylight, let in through niches
in the facade. This creates a vibrant and dynamic framework for the various
exhibitions. As the other buildings at the Arts Campus, the facade features
vertical louvre paneling in Siberian larch, which supports the verticality of
the building - only broken by the large windows and the glass floor in the
middle.