Aspen, a ski resort in Colorado, is known for its diverse cultural life, in which the local museum plays an important role. At the same time, its modern building - a reconstructed power plant of the early 20th century - is too small for successful exhibition and educational activities, and also inconvenient in terms of layout (the staircase is too narrow for lifting large works of art into the halls, etc.). However, it is impossible to carry out a large-scale reconstruction, since this historical building has the status of a monument.
The administration of the museum invited Shigeru Ban to cooperate back in 2008, but the first version of the project was not implemented: a piece of land belonging to the state was chosen for him, which was not sold to the museum in the end. Now we are talking about a private property, which now houses a large restaurant building. This building is planned to be completely rebuilt for the museum, and a housing and office building will be erected nearby, which will provide funding for the construction of a cultural institution.
The building itself will have a rather restrained appearance, combined with the usual buildings in the center of Aspen: from the outside, its glazed volume will be closed by a lattice of wooden beams serving as a sun screen and a canopy over the main entrance. Also, this lattice will close the floor from the inside.
Visitors will be taken from the lobby via the main staircase to the upper floor with a café and bookstore, as well as Aspen's only rooftop terrace open to the public, serving as a sculpture garden with views of the Rocky Mountains. The exhibition halls will be located on the first and second floors, where visitors will then have to go down.
