Winning architect, concept for MSU’s Broad Art Museum to be announced Jan. 15

Contact: Lisa Mulcrone, University Relations: (517) 432-0922, cell (517) 285-1044, mulcron2@msu.edu  

Jan. 4, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University will host two events on Tuesday, Jan. 15, to announce the winner of the architect competition for the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon will join Eli and Edythe Broad and the internationally acclaimed winning architect at 9:30 a.m. at the MSU Management Education Center in Troy for the press announcement and presentation of the winning concept. Following the announcement, Simon, the Broads and the architect will travel to MSU for a 1:30 p.m. presentation and celebration at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. Both events are open to the public.

The announcement is the culmination of a competition that began in June 2007 when the Broads gave a gift of $26 million to help fund the new museum, which will focus on modern and contemporary art.

MSU engaged Joseph Giovannini, a renowned architect and architecture and design critic, to facilitate a competition to select the architectural firm to design the new building. The building will be built on the MSU campus at Grand River Avenue and the Collingwood Entrance. Initially, 10 semifinalist firms were identified from a field of approximately 30 firms. Five finalists were invited to present their concepts to the public and an eight-member jury on campus in July 2007. The finalists were:

• Zaha Hadid (London)
• Coop Himmelb(l)au (Vienna/Los Angeles)
• Morphosis (Santa Monica, Calif.)
• William Pedersen, Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects (New York)
• Randall Stout (Los Angeles)

The jury made recommendations to the president and a university design committee. The president and committee carefully examined each concept before coming to a decision.

Demolition of the Paolucci Building which stood at the site occurred in December. Groundbreaking for the museum is expected in the fall of 2008.

For more information about the museum and design competition, visit the Special Report at http://special.newsroom.msu.edu/artmuseum/.

###