SHIGERU BAN’S ASPEN ART MUSEUM

Long-awaited museum by the prize-winning Japanese architect finally opens

Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban has officially completed his first permanent art museum in the United States, the much-anticipated Aspen Art Museum in Colorado.

The new structure opened to the public on August 9th as part of the museum’s 35th anniversary celebration. The 3000 square meters nearly triples the exhibition space with six galleries as well as a shop, on-site artist’s apartment and learning center.

Known for his temporary paper structures, the architect also used paper in the new museum. The woven wood exterior is made from Propema, a composite material made from resin and paper and contained within double-sided wood veneer.

Visitors navigate the building either using one of two paths: the Grand Staircase and the Moving Room. The Grand Staircase is a three-level passageway that passes between the exterior weaving and the interior. It is intersected by a glass wall, effectively dividing it into both an interior and exterior space. The second path, Shigeru Ban’s Moving Room, is a glass elevator that connects galleries both horizontally and vertically.

A roof-deck sculpture garden gives visitors an unobstructed view of the adjacent Ajax Mountain and an additional exhibition and event locale with a café, bar and outdoor screening space. The museum’s inaugural exhibitions are exploring connections between artists David Hammons and Yves Klein as well as a study of Shigeru Ban’s humanitarian work that features full-scale examples.