Art Museum Addition Features 'Flying Carpet' Canopy

摘要

A louvered grid shading system hovering above a new, three-story contemporary art gallery at the Art Institute of Chicago will block 100 percent of direct sunlight but ensure that the galleries are suffused with natural light. The canopy— dubbed the flying carpet by its architect, Renzo Piano, of Genoa, Italy—is the signature of a $258-million expansion project that will add 264,000 sq ft (24,525 m~2) of space to the museum, increasing its total gallery space by a third. The expansion will include a 60,000 sq Ft (5,574 m~2) gallery enclosed by a glass curtain wall. The canopy will soar about 10 ft (3 m) above a glass roof and will consist of U-shaped steel beams arranged in a rectilinear grid and covered with aluminum louvers.The curved beams were selected because they reflect light more subtly than 1 beams. All of the connections for the louvers will be made on the top, flat surface of the U beams. The canopy—about 216 ft (65 m) square—will cantilever 18 ft (5.5 m) beyond each wall of the new gallery.