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This is a drawing I did of the Aspen Art Museum. I focused on the detail of the basket weave style frame because it adds so much character to the building, transforming it from a big box into a naturally woven basket. Ban said that he was inspired by the idea of a woven basket because the museum will never have permanent collections but rather be a temporary holding place for certain exhibits and pieces. 

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Woven into Place- Journal Article About the Museum

This architectural review by David Hill praises the building for accomplishing the feat of being both a work of art and looking natural in its environment. Here are three new facts I learned from this article: 

1) Shigeru Ban wanted the building to mimic the experience of skiing; you ride the lift up, enjoy the view, then ski down. The museum is intended to be seen by walking up the grand stair from street level to the third floor, then enjoying the view of the mountains from the rooftop garden, then enjoying the art as you come down each floor. 

2) The density of the weave changes from top to bottom and as you move away from the corner of the building. 

3) The total project cost was $45 million, which is not that much more than some of the luxury vacation homes in the area! 

Source: G

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This article, written the day after the building opened, gives interesting insight into the long process taken to choose a design and location for the museum. At one point the city was sued by a firm who’s design had been rejected for the possibility of it negatively affecting future development in the area! In contrast to the many years the city council spent rejecting other designs, Ban’s design was chosen as close to immediately as possible for city council decisions.

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Aspen Art Museum- Excellence Award

In this video, Gregory Kingsley, an engineer at KL&A, explains the difficulties and detail that went into creating Shigeru Ban’s design. An interesting fact about the building is that even though the roof composed of wooden trusses looks seamless, it is actually held together by over 20,000 wood screws! 

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Aspen Art Museum Time Lapse

This short film features time lapse clips of the building as well as interviews with the director, Heidi Zuckerman, and the architect, Shigeru Ban. This video perfectly captures the buildings dichotomy of being both modern and contemporary looking while still fitting with Aspen’s natural and ‘small mountain town’ aesthetic. The way the shadows, created by the frame, move throughout the day is similar to how the shadows created by trees move across a forest floor, making it seem like the trees used to create the frame are still part of the forest, not separate from it. 

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A Peek Inside The Aspen Art Museum

The first photo is of the third floor outdoor courtyard, which features a sculpture garden, and the incredible views that inspired Shigeru Ban’s all-glass design. The second photo of a hallway features Ban’s architectural signature: cardboard tubes; while he is known for using them for structural purposes, the way they play with the light coming in above the stairs creates a changing art piece perfect for a museum. The third photo captures both the scale and inside/outside duality of the grand staircase, leading from the street to the third floor, perfectly.  

Source: B

**interior photos with print source**

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Aspen Art Museum During Construction 

This photo of the museum during construction showcases the openness of the building that visitors experience from the inside looking out but is now disguised by the wooden lattice.  You can see completely through the top floor! This photo also displays the glass gallery elevator, one of the buildings key features, that was no longer visible from the outside once the woven frame was constructed. 

Source: D (photo), E (materials info)

**exterior photo with labels**

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Aspen Art Museum at Night

This photo of the art museum in the evening showcases not only it’s eye-catching facade in contrast to it’s surroundings but also the interior lighting illuminates the beauty of the woven shell in a way that cannot be seen in the daytime. 

Source: C

**exterior photo**

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These are the floor plans of the three floors accessible to the public, there is a lower level floor for administration offices and such. 

Source: C

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This architectural drawing shows off some of the remarkable feautures such as the exterior grand stair, glass gallery elevator and woven wooden exterior. 

Source: B