The Menil Collection: Gateway and Campus
Houston, TX | 2015 | 30 acres
The Menil Gateway was the first phase of Michael Van Valkenburgh’s design for the 30-acre campus. The existing, dilapidated parking lot was transformed into a garden setting for parking with more than 80 new trees and 19,000 square feet of resilient groundcover and perennials. Shaded pathways lead the visitor from their cars towards the museum between a preserved row of live oaks, a swale of irises and a newly planted understory of native chalk maples. From the richly textured parking lot, the visitor emerges into a more open entryway that transitions from residential to institutional, first traveling past a new café and culminating in Renzo Piano’s celebrated museum building. The lighting program created a delicate transition from the parking lot to the museum entrance, extending a soft, unifying glow to the surrounding campus bungalows.
Tucked away in a residential enclave of a bustling city, the Menil Colletion’s 30-acre campus is a source of civic energy and domestic tranquility. Connecting and unifying the museum, its satellite arts buildings, and the campus bungalows are green spaces — including Menil Park, expanses of lawn and walkways, and outdoor sculpture. Light was carefully planned to avoid unnecessary light or fixtures. The trick is to illuminate changes in the landscape rather than blanket the landscape in light. Linnaea Tillett explains, “We preserved the campus atmosphere, using a play of light and shadows to enhance wayfinding.”