herzog & de meuron to convert former birkenstock warehouse into the eames institute museum

HERZOG & DE MEURON REVEALS EAMES INSTITUTE MUSEUM PLANS

A warehouse with a roof this expressive already has something to exhibit. In Novato, California, Herzog & de Meuron is reworking the former Birkenstock campus into the future museum of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, preserving its sculptural concrete silhouette while changing what happens beneath it. Newly released renderings show the proposal taking shape with San Francisco practice EHDD as executive architect and Field Operations designing the landscape. Across an approximately 88-acre site, the project brings exhibition spaces, workshops, a theater, and gardens into a cultural destination whose ambitions extend beyond the work of Charles and Ray Eames.

The existing campus was designed for publisher McGraw-Hill by Jan Lubicz-Nycz for the office of John Savage Bolles, before becoming associated with Birkenstock. Its most recognizable element is a roof assembled from repeated hyperbolic paraboloid shells, developed with structural engineer Raj Desai. These curved surfaces use geometry to span large distances with remarkably little material, producing a sequence of pointed edges that gives the industrial building its unexpected drama. Retaining this structure makes the museum itself an example of design ingenuity: visitors will encounter an experiment in construction before reaching the first exhibition.

A REFLECTIVE BRIDGE REFRAMES THE CONCRETE WAREHOUSE

Herzog & de Meuron organizes the interior around a generous central hall, keeping the roof’s geometry visible overhead. An entrance court cut into an existing earth berm establishes the approach, while a steel-clad bridge introduces an elevated route through the building. Its reflective finish will catch fragments of the surrounding space, setting a visually shifting surface against the weight of the concrete canopy. Below, circulation routes connect exhibitions with places to gather and work. Building services and lighting will be integrated into the ceiling to reduce the visual clutter beneath its peaks.

The museum’s program gives visitors opportunities to see how things are made alongside the finished works. Studios and workshops for wood and ceramics sit within an arrangement of flexible exhibition spaces, allowing creative activity to become part of the visit. This approach also informs the broader collecting strategy, which encompasses industrial design, painting, sculpture, and other disciplines. The Eames legacy provides a point of departure for a museum interested in experimentation across generations, with space for the practical, occasionally messy business that precedes an object’s arrival on a pedestal.

FIELD OPERATIONS BRINGS THE EAMES MUSEUM INTO THE LANDSCAPE

At the building’s northern and southern edges, recessed glass façades create deep covered areas between the interiors and gardens. These sheltered thresholds extend the possibilities for exhibitions and everyday use, while former loading zones become places to spend time outdoors. Field Operations connects ten gardens through paths, introducing native species including oak, manzanita, and California poppy. Planting draws on the region’s different habitats, from woodland to coastal prairie, giving the grounds a character rooted in Marin County rather than treating them as a uniform backdrop.

Outdoor sculpture, places to play, and areas for communal events will share this landscape with quieter spaces for sitting and walking. The proposal allows a museum visit to unfold across different settings and at different speeds, from a workshop or performance to an afternoon outside. Following the Institute’s acquisition of the property in 2025, the masterplan has been submitted to the City of Novato. Major construction is intended to begin in 2028, with 2030 set as the target opening year.

project info:

name: Eames Institute Museum | @eamesinstitute
architects: Herzog & de Meuron | @herzogdemeuron
Location: Novato, Marin County, California, USA