Using the philosophical concept of simulacrum, the project engages Enric Miralles’ “Doubling” to design an off-site publicly accessible collections storage facility for the Museum of Fine Arts. Neither a museum nor traditional warehouse, this institutional “Double” transforms yet to some degree, maintains the conditions of the original, expanding the physical and conceptual territory of the museum. It dispenses with box storage, enabling works of art to develop a “double-life”, which no longer consists of an endless wait for public presentation.

The site contains an abandoned 5-story, 50,000 square feet warehouse located at 2017 Preston Street. The warehouse was Maxwell House’s first showcase home in Houston. Built in 1917, it was among the first buildings to be designated an official historic site in the city.