
first image
'umeå art museum' by henning larsen architects, umeå, sweden
image © Åke E:son Lindman
all images courtesy of henning larsen architects
located in a university town in sweden, the umea art museum is part of a greater complex of artistic institutes and exhibition facilities. the collaboration
between danish firm henning larsen architects and white arkitekter is an endeavor of ambition; the building seeks to put into dialogue art, design and
architecture so as to secure umea as a site of critical creative discourse. the museum is unique in its tower-like form, creating a protruding silhouette by
the umeälven river. large, square exhibition spaces are free of structural elements and plentiful in glazing so as to allow ample natural light to filter
through the space. while the interiors provide a tabula rasa to accomodate the ever-changing programs of both contemporary and historically significant art,
the exterior maintains an aesthetic character that is at once warm and replete with material dynamism. the arts campus buildings, comprised of the
academy of fine arts, the institute of design and the new school of architecture, are clad in vertical louvres of siberian larch with a multiplicity of directional grain.
the verticality of the facade is broken only by the rhythm of large windows and a glass middle floor. the museum is a publicly accessible and forges a landmark
for interdisciplinary study to proliferate.

a siberian larch facade lends stunning verticality to the museum tower
image © Åke E:son Lindman

a glass middle floor and strategically placed glazing strarkly interrupts the layered facade
image © Åke E:son Lindman

the museum is flanked by other arts campus buildings, but manages to be both distinguishable and a unifying visual force
image © Åke E:son Lindman

ample daylight tumbles through the expanses of glazing and reveals the watery landscape
image © Åke E:son Lindman

the building is organized by material and aperture
image © Åke E:son Lindman

image © Åke E:son Lindman

the undersides of stairs are finished so as to encourage the presence of diffused light
image © Åke E:son Lindman

image © Åke E:son Lindman

wood floors warm the exhibition spaces
image © Åke E:son Lindman

the interiors encourage varying interplays of light
image © Åke E:son Lindman

a glass middle floor reveals the frozen swedish riverscape
image © Åke E:son Lindman

a night view of the museum as it looks out onto the river
image © Åke E:son Lindman
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site plan

floor plan level 0

floor plan level 1

floor plan level 2

floor plan level 3

floor plan level 4

floor plan level 5

floor plan level 6

section a

section b

section c

elevation north

elevation south

elevation east

elevation west
excellent
well designed structure that integrates well int the surroundings