ICA Watershed
Location
Boston, MA
Completed
2018
Size
15,000 SF
Owners
Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston
Architect
Anmahian Winton Architects
Photographer
© Florian Holzherr
Design Team
Located in a 15,000-square-foot industrial space at the active East Boston Shipyard, the ICA Watershed creates a unique setting for artistic exploration. Visitors are greeted by translucent polycarbonate façade on either end of the elongated space, illuminated from within to create a lantern effect, visible from across the Boston Harbor. Breaking from the typical black box gallery model, daylight pours through a narrow skylight, exposing the richly textured concrete-and-cinder-block surface of the west wall, while linear fixtures tucked behind beams wash the opposing white wall. A grid of clamping bars provides homes for art lights among the steel trusses. This series of lighting schemes creates a unique visitor experience throughout the building and gallery spaces, while revealing the Shipyard’s industrial history.