Opened in 2015, The Broad, located on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, was founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. In a city known for its cultural diversity and vibrant creative scene, The Broad plays a pivotal role in shaping the artistic landscape of Southern California. The museum’s architectural significance lies in its innovative design, created by the celebrated firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which balances two fundamental functions—public exhibition and art storage.
The Broad Technical Information
- Architects1-19: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- Location: Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Area: 120,000 Sq. Ft. | 11,150 m2
- Project Years: 2010-2015
- Photographs: © Iwan Baan, © Hufton & Crow, © Bruce Damonte, © Ben Gibbs
Dubbed ‘the veil and the vault,’ the museum’s design merges the two key programs of the building: public exhibition space and the storage that supports The Broad Art Foundation’s extensive lending activities. Rather than relegate the storage to secondary status, ‘the vault’ plays a key role in shaping the museum experience from entry to exit.
– Diller Scofidio + Renfro Architects
The Broad Photographs
The Broad Architectural Design: The Veil and the Vault
The building’s design, often referred to as “the veil and the vault,” is a bold statement on the interaction between art and space. This concept places the vault, housing the museum’s storage, at the structure’s core while enveloping it in a honeycomb-like exterior veil. This duality is not only aesthetic but also functional, merging The Broad’s public and private functions into a seamless experience for its visitors. From the moment the design was unveiled in 2011 to its completion four years later, The Broad has captivated architects and critics alike with its dynamic, thoughtful approach to contemporary museum architecture.
At the heart of The Broad’s design lies the vault, a massive concrete structure that acts as both a literal and symbolic foundation for the museum’s operations. Containing over 21,000 square feet of collection storage, the vault is more than just a practical feature—it shapes the museum experience from the lobby to the third-floor galleries. The vault’s sculptural mass hovers above the lobby, with its underside carved out to form a fluid, undulating ceiling that guides visitors through the space. This interplay of solid and void creates a sense of weight and gravitas while providing a dynamic spatial experience.
Visitors enter the museum through the street-level lobby and are immediately aware of the vault’s presence. The transition from the bustling Grand Avenue into the museum’s serene interior is marked by the juxtaposition of the heavy vault above and the airy openness of the public areas below. The museum’s design encourages upward movement, with visitors drawn through the vault via a 105-foot-long escalator that leads directly to the third-floor gallery. This journey through the vault sets the stage for the museum’s main event—a 35,000-square-foot column-free gallery space, where the artwork takes center stage.
Enveloping this core is the veil, an intricate, porous exterior shell made from 2,500 glass fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels. The veil serves both aesthetic and functional purposes, filtering natural light into the gallery spaces while creating a distinct architectural identity. Its honeycomb pattern allows daylight to diffuse gently into the museum, providing optimal lighting conditions for viewing art. The veil’s structure also lifts at key points to welcome visitors into the building, blending the museum’s interior with its urban surroundings. The use of glass and steel in the veil adds a layer of transparency, linking the museum to the public realm and creating a dynamic interface between art, architecture, and the city.
Sustainability and LEED Gold Certification
From its inception, The Broad was designed with sustainability in mind, achieving LEED Gold certification for its eco-friendly features and energy efficiency. The building’s design goes beyond traditional museum architecture by integrating a range of sustainable strategies that enhance both the environmental performance of the museum and the comfort of its visitors.
One of the most innovative aspects of The Broad’s sustainability is its use of daylighting. The third-floor gallery, with its expansive skylights and carefully calibrated veil structure, allows natural light to flood the space, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day. This not only creates an ideal viewing environment for the artwork but also helps reduce the museum’s energy consumption. The daylighting system is supported by advanced sensors and blackout shades, which can control the amount of light entering the space, protecting the art from harmful UV exposure while maintaining a bright, welcoming atmosphere.
Water conservation is another key component of The Broad’s sustainability strategy. High-efficiency plumbing fixtures reduce indoor water use by 40%, and stormwater runoff from the plaza and rooftop is filtered through a biofiltration system that helps mitigate the environmental impact of the museum’s footprint. The addition of green spaces, including the 24,000-square-foot public plaza with its 100-year-old Barouni olive trees, not only enhances the visitor experience but also helps offset the heat island effect in downtown Los Angeles.
Urban Impact and Public Engagement
The Broad has had a transformative impact on its urban context, serving as a cultural hub in downtown Los Angeles. Its location on Grand Avenue places it in the heart of a thriving arts district, adjacent to other major institutions like the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The addition of The Broad to this cultural corridor has helped catalyze further development in the area, drawing millions of visitors and revitalizing the urban fabric.
The museum’s design extends beyond its walls to engage with the city. The public plaza, designed as an inviting green space, offers a much-needed respite in the dense urban environment. This space is not only a gathering place for museum visitors but also a venue for public programs and events that foster community engagement. The plaza, along with streetscape improvements and pedestrian-friendly pathways, enhances the walkability of the area, making it a key node in downtown LA’s cultural landscape.
The Broad Image Gallery
About Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) is a renowned New York-based interdisciplinary design studio known for blending architecture, visual arts, and performance. Led by partners Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, Charles Renfro, and Benjamin Gilmartin, the firm has gained international acclaim for projects that challenge traditional architectural conventions. Notable works include The Broad in Los Angeles, the High Line in New York City, and the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). DS+R is celebrated for its innovative use of materials, light, and space, as well as its ability to integrate cultural, social, and environmental considerations into its designs.
Notes & Additional Credits
- Partners: Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio, Charles Renfro, Benjamin Gilmartin
- Project Director: Kevin Rice
- Project Manager: Andrea Schelly
- Project Designer: Matthew Ostrow
- Project Architect: Michael Hundsnurscher
- Design Team: Robert Condon, Zachary Cooley, Daniel Sakai, Ryan Botts, John Chow, Anne-Rachel Schiffmann, William Ngo, Charles Curran, Nkiru Mokwe
- Competition Team: Robert Donnelly, Matthew Johnson, Quang Truong, Kumar Atre, Oskar Arnorsson, Gerardo Ciprian, Christopher Hillyard, Darina Zlateva
Executive Architect: Gensler
Construction: MATT Construction
Structural Engineers: Nabih Youssef Associates, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P.
Civil Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
MEP, Fire, Life Safety & Gallery: ARUP
Lighting Engineers (Galleries): ARUP
Lighting Design (Exclusive of Galleries): Tillotson Design
Vertical Transportation: Lerch Bates Associates
Collection Storage: Solomon + Bauer + Giamastiani
Security: Ducibella Venter + Santore
Waterproofing: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Graphic Design: 2 x 4
