Art Institute of Chicago - Alsdorf Gallery

Working with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, EDE created the casework for the Art Institute of Chicago’s Alsdorf Galleries. The cases were purposely designed to hide any conventional open and entry point—each appears to be impossible to open. But to retain functionality, EDE’s engineering staff developed clever ways to allow museum staff the ability to quickly gain access into the cases for weekly exchanging of humidity controllers. An artifact-friendly plaster finish was used in the interior of the cases to accentuate the statues placed within. The cases were constructed from half-inch thick Plexiglas with custom-poured PS-30 joints in order to create a seamless vitrene.

Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop