Broad Museum Oculus

Project

The oculus of the Broad Museum features a depression creating the illusion that the exterior “veil” is pressed through the glass curtain wall. To maintain the illusion, the portion inside the building must float anchored only to the steel mullions supporting the glass curtainwall. The exterior part of the veil is made of GFRC, but the steel frame needed to support the much heavier GFRC would destroy the illusion. FRP made an alternative light enough to be fastened to the window frames and molded in a matched mold, realizing a seamless interior panel whose finish matched the exterior GFRC by using in part the same aggregate as the exterior.

Details

• Location: Los Angeles, California

• Client Name: The Broad Museum

• Expertise: Shop drawings, engineering, fabrication, and delivery to the jobsite.

• Partners:

  • Seele, Facade Contractor

  • Matt Construction, General Contractor

  • Jordan Composites, Martin and Martin, Composite Engineer

  • Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Architect