Mumbai Lab Architecture
3rd BMW Guggenheim Lab, a co-initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group, opened in Mumbai on December 9, 2012. Third stop of global project offers free programs throughout city that explore public space and urban life. The BMW Guggenheim Lab offers free public programs and projects throughout the city under the theme ME=WE. The Mumbai Lab addressed challenges and opportunities related to public space and the choices Mumbaikars make to balance individual (“me”) and community (“we”) interests.
Part urban think tank, community center, and public gathering space, the BMW Guggenheim Lab is a global project aimed at raising awareness of important urban challenges and inspiring an ongoing conversation in cities around the world.
“The purpose of the BMW Guggenheim Lab is to explore urban life in the streets, and through the eyes of the people who live in cities,” said Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “After launching the Lab in New York and taking it to Berlin, we are excited to bring this project to Mumbai, one of the most complex, populous, and culturally rich cities in the world.”
As in New York and Berlin, the physical structure of the Mumbai Lab is in character with its urban environment. Tokyo architects Atelier Bow-Wow, working with Mumbai architect Samir D’Monte, have designed an L-shaped structure made primarily of bamboo that is uniquely suited to the plaza site at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and to the densely populated city, as well as a modified version of the Lab that will travel to the satellite sites throughout Mumbai.
“Our hope for the programming of the BMW Guggenheim Lab Mumbai is to continue to expand participation beyond the traditional museum audience,” said Mumbai Lab Curator David van der Leer. “Everyone who lives in a city has a stake in its future, and our programs are designed to bring people of all backgrounds and viewpoints together to address important issues related to urban life.”
