Menil Living Arts Institute

The Menil Collection, in Houston, Texas, is synonymous with progressive art. The institute often subsidizes housing in its surrounding neighborhoods, hosting artists, while they display their works in it’s renown galleries. The Living Arts Institute is a synthesis of the housing and gallery functions of the Menil. 10 housing units are located in the upper “zone”, allowing artists visual access to the other buildings of the Menil Campus. Beneath, 4 consecutive galleries weave sectionally through necessary support spaces.

The site is comprised of 5 lots, taking up 3 streetfronts on Yupon, Colquitt, and Graustark streets. Because of this, the organization of the gallery, housing, and service components must be very carefully orchestrated. The gallery entrance is placed on Yupon street, towards the central Menil Campus, the housing entrance is approached off of the residential Graustark street and the service entrance + parking slips beneath the gallery, as it weaves up to the second floor.

I also did a walkthrough video animation. Parts of this animation are fairly rough, but the process of creating it was highly formative in my thinking in 4D time-space. The art used in this animation is all that of Stanley Donwood.

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