The landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh has been appointed to enhance and expand the Menil Collection’s 30-acre campus in Houston, the museum is scheduled to announce Thursday.
The appointment signals the start of implementing the Menil’s master plan for its “neighborhood of art,†which consists of six buildings devoted to art spread across several blocks, as well as outdoor sculptures, green spaces and bungalows.
“It’s always a challenge to take a landscape that has evolved incrementally and a landscape that has a subtle and modest character and to somehow succeed in improving it,†Mr. Van Valkenburgh said in an interview. “It’s not something that needs to be reinvented.â€
Projects by Mr. Van Valkenburgh’s firm include the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hudson River Park in New York City and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
Site preparation for the first phase of the design is expected to begin in September.
The master site plan, by David Chipperfield Architects, calls for the creation of additional green space and walkways; new visitor amenities, like a cafe; and new buildings for art.
“The outdoor component of our campus is very important,†said Josef Helfenstein, the museum’s director. “We need to do a better job to curate the landscape.â€
The museum’s existing building and its Cy Twombly Gallery are both by Renzo Piano.
