The new Bellevue Art Museum, designed by Steven Holl Architects of New York in association with Sclater Partners, Seattle, may represent the future for visual arts institutions - street wise, interactive and wired. Excavation for museum construction began last month. The exterior gray areas represent aluminum panel. The museum is designed to introduce a new pedestrian scale to the center of Bellevue, and to engage actively with the street, a feature in keeping with the street fair origins of the institution. A cafe and museum shop open directly to the sidewalk.
Outdoor terraces extend the museum's top level with sunlight and views.
The terraces can accommodate outdoor classes as well as exhibits and events on summer evenings. On the Terrace of Planetary Motion, recent cosmological discoveries from the Hubbell telescope and electronic digital telescopes will be projected onto the street-facing facade. The spirit of openness continues inside the museum, where three gallery lofts are oriented to reflect three distinct natural lighting conditions. The audio-visual, security and communications consultant for the project is Sparling.