Rowland+Broughton recently completed the design and installation of an inviting new reception desk titled “Beginning” for the Aspen Art Museum. Inspired by wood as a solid natural material with strength of character and referencing the continuing renewal of the surrounding Roaring Fork Valley forest, the design repurposes recycled fir, which has historically been used for its strength and availability. Visually appealing exposed end grain shows the growth rings of the tree.
Upon arriving at the reception desk, visitors are centered and invited to experience and participate in the Aspen Art Museum as a whole. The journey then continues to an upper level by ascending the grand stair, or “moving glass” room. The foundational wood “Beginning” reception desk is further represented and innovated in Shigeru Ban’s architectural woven wood screen façade, the roof trusses, and the paper tube screen.
Installation of the reception desk was aligned with the December opening of the renowned Andy Warhol: Lifetimes exhibit, featured until March 27. Originating at Tate Modern, London, the exhibition has traveled to the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, and Art Gallery of Toronto. The Aspen Art Museum presentation is structured to examine the artist’s life parallel to his work.
About the project, R+B Principal Sarah Broughton, FAIA, NCIDQ, shares, “Amid change, wood is a fundamental material that is rooted in place. Utilizing recycled fir for the design of the new Aspen Art Museum Reception Desk was a natural choice to deepen the connection to both Shigeru Ban’s architectural detailing and the surrounding landscape, as the Museum itself continues to strengthen Aspen’s reputation as vital art and cultural destination. Coinciding the installation with the opening of the outstanding Warhol exhibit helped heighten the overall experience for everyone involved.”
The R+B design philosophy is built upon the belief that architecture, landscape, planning, interior design, and urban design are all interdependent of one another. R+B’s combined mountain and urban sensibilities inform and enhance a wide spectrum of projects, including custom residential, commercial, hospitality, urban design, interior design, and master planning.
