George Lucas museum design by MAD Architects finally gets green light

Designboom reports that Chicago’s city council has finally approved the construction of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which was deigned by Ma Yansong’s firm MAD Architects.

The approval came approximately one month after both MAD Architects and Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects, in charge of landscaping, submitted revised versions of the controversial design. The last hurdle for the museum was a dispute with the Chicago Bears, who’s parking lot would be affected by the museum. After a deal with the team was settled, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, the city’s aldermen and alderwomen approved the project without debate.

"The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be an incredible addition to chicago’s museum campus,” said Chiacgo’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a statement. "The Lucas Museum will join the 56 other museums in Chicago to provide new cultural and educational benefits for generations to come. The new parkland will add more open greenspace that will be enjoyed by residents across the city."

“We are very pleased with the approval by the city council,” Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art President Don Bacigalupi told Designboom. “The [museum] will be a tremendous educational and cultural amenity for all Chicagoans, and a major addition to the city’s vibrant and renowned artistic community. It will also deliver nearly 200,000 square feet of new green space and accessible parkland along the lakefront for all to enjoy. We are excited to move forward with the museum’s construction.”

The project is slated for a 2019 completion.