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1999 A&E Perspectives

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1999 A&E Perspectives
November 18, 1999

A museum for the electronic age

By CLAIR ENLOW
Editor, A/E Perspectives

The new Bellevue Art Museum, designed by Steven Holl Architects of New York in association with Sclater Partners, Seattle, may represent the future for visual arts institutions - street wise, interactive and wired. Programming includes many provisions for audio-visual and computer-based exhibits.

"Cabling has been very extensive," said Alan Sclater of Sclater Partners, "not only for the building program but in anticipation of exhibits that will be presented electronically."

Bellevue Art Museum
Excavation for museum construction began last month. Scheduled to open in mid-October 2000, the 36,000-square-foot, three-story building will have two floors of parking below grade. The exterior is rough, stained concrete, shown as red in the computer-generated image on the cover of this issue of A&E Perspectives. The exterior gray areas represent aluminum panel.

The museum is designed to introduce a new pedestrian scale to the center of Bellevue, and to engage actively with the street, a feature in keeping with the street fair origins of the institution. A cafe and museum shop open directly to the sidewalk. Outdoor terraces extend the museum's top level with sunlight and views. The terraces can accommodate outdoor classes as well as exhibits and events on summer evenings. On the Terrace of Planetary Motion, recent cosmological discoveries from the Hubbell telescope and electronic digital telescopes will be projected onto the street-facing facade.

The spirit of openness continues inside the museum, where three gallery lofts are oriented to reflect three distinct natural lighting conditions.

The Bellevue Art Museum plans ambitious programs in education and outreach for the new buildings, including studio classes for adults and children, an artist-in-residence, the Pacific Northwest Arts Fair, workshops, demonstrations, screenings, performances and readings. The audio-visual, security and communications consultant for the project is Sparling. The structural engineer is Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire, and the civil engineer is W&H Pacific. The design/build electrical contractor is Nelson Electric and the design/build mechanical contractor is McKinstry. Two New York consultants have contributed to the design, including: L'Obser-vatoire Intl. for architectural lighting and Guy Nordenson, consulting structural engineer.

The general contractor for the project is Sellen, and the construction cost is $13.2 million.

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