Amidst the growing College Circle Uptown of Cleveland, visitors can find Case Western Reserve University, visit an antique shop in Little Italy, and soon, indulge in the Foreign Office Architects’ (FOA) first major American creation, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA).
Planning to break ground in late 2010, MOCA will serve as a milestone to the emerging cultural center that the Uptown district has become. The 34,000 square foot structure, planned to complement the urban architecture already in place, has been designed to combine practicality with an impressive visual presence that visitors and residents will be able to see from the street. The hexagonal base of the building will converge to a square roof, creating converging angles and an abstract form. By day, window glazing will combine with the reflective shell of the building to create a uniform surface. By night, interior lighting will stand boldly against the dark surface.
A transparent glass face will allow visitors at the nearby public plaza to get a sneak-peek of the structure’s contents. Once inside, an atrium will introduce guests to the dynamic and flexible interior before leading to the lobby, café, and shop. The second and third floors will combine offices with a public gallery and workshops that spectators will see on their way through the museum. The main, 6,000 square foot gallery will sit on the top floor of the museum, which feeds into a lounge with a view of the city.
In addition to FOA, the $26.3 million museum will be created by the help of Westlake Reed Leskosky and other cultural building designers throughout the U.S.