The Aspen Art Museum is a contemporary cultural facility organized as a multi-level vertical gallery with flexible, column-free exhibition spaces. The structure supports open floor plates, vertical circulation, and a publicly accessible rooftop terrace, enabling a range of curatorial and community functions within a compact urban site.
Date: 2014
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Architect: Shigeru Ban & CCY Architects
Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Project Type: Museum
Square Footage: 30,000
Construction Cost: $20 Million
Services Provided:
Structural Engineering
ASPEN ART MUSEUM
The building utilizes a cast-in-place concrete frame with supplemental structural steel, paired with an intricate wood roof system that defines the uppermost level of the project. The roof structure incorporates a complex arrangement of timber elements, requiring detailed coordination between structural framing, architectural intent, and connection design to achieve the desired geometry and exposed finish.
RECOGNITION
American Institute of Architects – 2017 Institute Honor Award
ArchDaily – 2015 Building of the Year (Cultural Architecture)
Dezeen – 2014 Finalist for Building of the Year
Wallpaper* – 2015 Design Awards (Best Public Building shortlist)
Significant coordination was also required to integrate the woven wood screen façade and align it with the primary structure. Constructed within Aspen’s constrained downtown core, the project demanded careful sequencing and erection planning, resulting in a structurally efficient system that supports both the architectural expression and long-term flexibility of the museum spaces.