The construction site of MSU’s Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum is clearly beginning to take on the “Z” shape of the innovative building design by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid. Looking at the construction site on Grand River next to Berkey Hall, one can clearly see the foundation and the start of walls for what will be a world-class museum.
“It is very exciting to see such progress on the Broad Art Museum,” Hadid said. “Another of our art museum projects, the new MAXXI Museum in Rome, opened this summer and has been extremely well received. What is also exciting is that the local community is coming together and using the museum like a new Roman piazza. It has become a meeting place for everyone, like a village square, each afternoon. It is no longer just a museum, but part of the urbanism of Rome. I look forward to the Broad Art Museum serving everyone in the community at Michigan State in the same way.”
During the summer, contractors completed work associated with building excavation, which included earth retention, de-watering wells and utility relocations and rough-ins. Steam tunnel and other infrastructure improvements also began. The building foundation and exterior walls were completed as well as interior concrete walls in the lower level. The foundation waterproofing and backfilling is currently under way and contractors have begun working on first-level structural concrete.
As progress continues with the construction, the search for the founding director of the Broad Museum is also moving forward. Following a national search, selected candidates will be visiting campus in early November to present their ideas and to be interviewed further.
The facility is named in honor of Eli and Edythe Broad, longtime supporters of the university who provided the lead gift for the museum. The Broads’ gift of $28 million, with $21 million designated for construction of the building and $7 million to be used for acquisitions, exhibitions and operations, was the catalyst for the project. Additional fundraising for construction has raised nearly $34 million of the $40 million goal for the building.
“This is an exciting project for many MSU alumni and friends of the university, not only in mid-Michigan but around the world,” said Robert Groves, vice president of University Advancement. “We have seen increased interest in the project since the groundbreaking, and we’re optimistic that we can complete the fundraising before the building opens in a little less than two years.”
The museum, which broke ground on March 16, is expected to open in the spring of 2012 and is on schedule and within budget. When completed, it will feature more than 70 percent gallery space and room for large art works to be displayed. The primary focus of the museum will be contemporary art.
More information about the project, including a live construction site webcam, can be found online at http://broadmuseum.msu.edu.
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