The New and Dramatic ICA Opens Marking a First for Boston and a First for its Architect Diller Scofido + Renfro

December 10th marks the opening of the much-heralded Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). The ICA is the first art museum built in Boston in nearly 100 years and the first building in the United States by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The 65,000 square foot iconic building, which reassembles a folding ribbon form and features a dramatic cantilever that extends to the water’s edge, triples the exhibition space of the museum’s previous home and enables it to feature exhibitions of a size and scope never before possible. In addition to expanded gallery spaces and grand public spaces, the museum houses a 325-seat theatre and a mediatheque that will enable ICA to expand its offerings in the performing arts, film, media and technology. The building is clad with identically sized vertical planks that alternate between transparent glass, translucent glass and opaque metal. This system provides a taught seamless skin that blurs the distinction between walls, windows and doors while responding to the requirements of the interior program. The view of the Boston Harbor is worth the visit.

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