BMW Guggenheim Lab Opens in NYC

In 2010, Hughes Hubbard & Reed represented the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum in a major initiative with the BMW Group, entitled the BMW Guggenheim Lab. The Lab is a mobile laboratory that will travel to nine major cities worldwide over six years. Led by international, interdisciplinary teams of emerging talents in the areas of urbanism, architecture, art, design, science, technology, education and sustainability, the Lab addresses issues of contemporary urban life through programs and public discourse. Its goal is the exploration of new ideas, experimentation, and ultimately the creation of forward-thinking solutions for urban life. 

Recently, the BMW/Guggenheim Lab, a long-time collaboration between the BMW Group and Hughes Hubbard client the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, opened the doors to its New York location. Architects Atelier Bow-Wow designed the carbon-fiber superstructure assembled and installed at First Park, located at Houston Street and Second Avenue. It will remain there until October 16. The Lab is open to the public on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1–9 p.m., Fridays from 1–10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.–10 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Roberta’s of Bushwick, known for serving local organic food, operates the Lab café in the garden on the Houston side of the Lab. 

The Lab structure will next travel to Berlin and then to Mumbai, India. The theme of the first two-year cycle of the Lab is Confronting Comfort, exploring notions of individual and collective comfort and the urgent need for environmental and social responsibility. Two additional two-year cycles will follow, each with a new mobile structure and theme, to be concluded in the fall of 2016. 

Dan Weiner and Maggie Hoag represented the Guggenheim in drafting and negotiating agreements with BMW, architects, construction management, graphic designers, public relations firms and independent contractors, including vendors, scholars, photographers, consultants and other not-for-profit entities. On August 2, Maggie and Adrian Cockerill attended an opening reception hosted by the Guggenheim and BMW. 

For more information about the project, visit the Lab’s website.