Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth: A Homage to 20th Century Architecture

The city of Fort Worth, Texas, still exuding the air of the Old West. The project was built in the cultural district located across the Trinity River from the city center, on a site pulled away from the busy intersection to the east.

As a result, the completed building with its row of simple rectangular volumes not only displays the traits of Ando’s architecture that skillfully combines clean geometries to create rich spaces; it also establishes a sense of continuity with the adjacent museum.

Even while employing the familiar building materials of concrete and glass, Ando also sought to find new possibilities for the materials.

This led to his idea to create exhibition rooms composed as concrete boxes encased with glass skins.

The concrete augments the transparency of the glass, and the glass softens the hard expression of the concrete by reflecting the shimmering water and light.

The combination of concrete boxes wrapped in glass skins marries strength with delicacy. It reappears in Ando’s later designs for museums both in and outside Japan.

The floors are almost flush with the water surface, and the aluminum window frames almost touch the pool. These carefully designed details help create the appearance of glass boxes floating on water.

The grand staircase leading up from the lobby. The natural light brought in from above softly illuminates the space, guiding visitors to the exhibition rooms.

The series of galleries are connected visually across the double-height spaces. The exhibition spaces offer a variety of sights, not only owing to the double membrane of concrete and glass, but also because of the way they unfold three-dimensionally.

The entrance hall is adjoined by a restaurant, a café, and an auditorium, making it a space that can accommodate not only art exhibits but also various community activities and social functions.

The outdoor plaza and reflecting pool are also used as venues for concerts and open-air festivals organized for local residents, just as Ando must have hoped when he envisioned creating an open museum that contributes to its community.