Studio Gang Architects, MAD to design George Lucas' museum in Chicago

Star Wars director George Lucas selected Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects and Beijing firm MAD to design his proposed art museum on Chicago’s lakefront, DeZeen reports.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) will house the director’s collections, ranging from illustrations to film to digital media.

According to a press release from the museum, MAD was selected as principal designer for the LMNA while Studio Gang will design the landscape and create a landscaped bridge between the museum and Northerly Island, the 91-acre man-made peninsula that houses part of Chicago’s Museum Campus.

From the press release:

Ma Yansong, the founder of MAD Architects, will be responsible for the design and overall concept of the LMNA building. In seeking to connect the interior and exterior worlds, Mr. Ma has designed some of the most innovative buildings in the world including Absolute Towers in Ontario, Canada, the Ordos Museum in Ordos, China and Chaoyang Park Plaza in Beijing, China.

“It is a gift to be able to design the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in a city so rich with architectural history,” said Mr. Ma, a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture. “I am humbled and honored to be given this opportunity to create a timeless design that moves and inspires people just like Mr. Lucas’ collection.”

To connect the LMNA to neighboring Northerly Island, a bridge will be built by the LMNA, at no cost to the City of Chicago. Jeanne Gang, who has spent the past four years transforming Northerly Island from an airport runway to an oasis of greenery, will design the bridge and lead the landscape design for the LMNA.

“We are excited to build upon our current work and collaborate to create a seamless transition between the Museum Campus and Northerly Island,” said Ms. Gang, a MacArthur Fellow. “In keeping with the Northerly Island ethos, our design goal will be to create a combined ecological and urban habitat.”