The basic concept for this new $12.8 million museum is that of a museum turned inside out—a building as active on the outside as it is on the inside. An iconic 36-foot-tall, 180-foot-long translucent wall, “the lightcatcher,” is the focal point and backdrop to a central courtyard that functions as gathering place for the city. The exterior of the museum is an invitation to engage in art and allows pedestrians walking by to view the art and activity within.
Lightcatcher at the Whatcom Museum
Bellingham, Washington
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The Red House
Denver, Colorado
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Studio Sitges
Sitges, Spain
Team
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Stephen Yamada-Heidner
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Debbie Kennedy
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William Franklin
Olivier Landa
Megan Zimmerman
Awards
2010
Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards, American Architecture Award
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Illumination Awards, Award of Excellence
Publications
2020
Gallaher, Rachel. “Jim Olson.” Gray Magazine, Dec. 2020/Jan. 2021. Print.