The Art Institute of Chicago is opening the Modern Wing, a sliver LEED certified, in little more than 2 weeks. (May 16, 2009). The Wing is designed by Pritzker Prize-winner, Renzo Piano.

The import issues to design a museum is about lighting. To show the arts, it needs light, but too much of natural lighting can harm the art pieces. The ‘Flying Carpet’ roof will take care little bit of this issue by automated dimming technology that filter the light.

The steel of the Nichols Bridgeway connects the museum with the Millennium Park.

photo credit: Charles G. Young, Andrew Campbell and Modern Wing.org

Renzo Piano also built the California Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and my recent favorite building New York Times building in New York.

photo credit: Renzo Piano Building Workshop