Nasher Sculpture Center

Ray Nasher is a successful Texan businessman and the owner of one of the largest sculpture collections in the world. Having recently decided to display his collection to the public, he has ordered the construction of a 16,000 square metre museum with two acres of parkland in the centre of Dallas. The museum has two floors. On the ground floor there are three galleries, offices, a meeting room and museum shop. While on the basement floor there is only one gallery for light sensitive exhibits, various amenities and an auditorium. Outside the garden descends to the auditorium in a series of terraces that create an open air theatre. The galleries consist of travertine marble walls and glass facades that offer a completely open view that stretches from the street, right through the building and along the entire length of the garden. It is these perspectives that give the building its unique sense of lightness and transparency. The project is specifically designed to maximise the influx of natural light that caresses the different shapes and textures of the statues. And this effect is further enhanced by the accent lighting of a series of Le Perroquet luminaires installed on tracks.