Steven Holl’s competition winning addition to the Nelson Atkins Museum set to open

The much-anticipated expansion of the Nelson Atkins Museum will open to the public on 9 June. Designed by Steven Holl, the new Bloch building is actually five interconnected translucent structures or “lenses” nestled into the landscape, The glowing boxes which house mostly gallery space stand in contradistinction to the original 1933 Beaux Art Museum. Holl’s 165,000 square foot addition, much of which is underground, will increase museum space by 70%. The building is the centerpiece of a dramatic $20 million transformation of the Nelson Atkins campus, which includes a major renovation to the existing Museum building, the restoration of a 22-acre Sculpture Park, and construction of a parking garage.