Herzog & de Meuron and EHDD to create Eames design museum in 1960s warehouse

Architecture studios Herzog & de Meuron and EHDD are set to convert the 1960s former Birkenstock campus in California, USA, into a design museum for the Eames Institute.

The architecture studios are set to turn the building, which was designed in the 1960s by modernist architect John Savage Bolles, into a "world-class art and design museum".

Located on a 88.5-acre site in Novato, just north of San Francisco, the distinctive warehouse and neighbouring office building were originally designed for publishing company McGraw-Hill.

More recently, the buildings were used by German shoe company Birkenstock before being acquired by the Eames Institute.

Herzog & de Meuron and EHDD are set to transform the campus into a museum that will display works from the Eames archives and host contain art exhibitions, maker spaces and workshops.

"The acquisition of the Birkenstock campus is a transformational step for the Eames Institute – the culmination of a long-held dream and our deep commitment to the North Bay community," said Eames Institute CEO John Cary.

"This extraordinary space will enable us to expand our programming and reach a broader audience, while serving as a permanent anchor for creativity and innovation in the Bay Area."

Located just off the Redwood Highway, the campus's warehouse building features a tent-like concrete roof that design consulates Herzog & de Meuron and executive architects EHDD will preserve as part of the renovation.

Renders of the converted campus show the buildings clad in wooden slats, with the historic concrete structure jutting over low-lying walls.

"Drawing on our expertise of adapting historic structures, most notably the Tate Modern in London, we are thrilled to now help transform this modernist campus into a vibrant public arts destination serving the Bay Area and beyond," said Herzog & de Meuron partner Simon Demeuse.

According to the team, the design is not yet finalised, although interiors will contain large-scale exhibitions.

The campus has been largely inaccessible to the public throughout its history and according to local news outlet SFGate, Birkenstock used the campus sporadically throughout its ownership.

Architect Bolles is known for other projects in the area such as the now-demolished San Francisco sports stadium Candlestick Park and the IBM Campus in San Jose.

Established in 2019 and launched publicly in 2022, the Eames Institute is based out of a headquarters in Richmond, California, where Charles and Ray Eames' granddaughter Llisa Demetrios serves as chief curator and also leads tours.

"To share my grandparents' vision with the world is the honor of a lifetime," said Demetrios.

"Ray and Charles' boundless curiosity for solving problems through design has been at the core of the Eames Institute's mission, and this expansion will allow us to share those gifts with our community on an even larger scale."

Recently, the Eames House and studio reopened after damage from Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year and Dezeen explored the Eames legacy in our mid-century modern design series.

The images are courtesy of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity.

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