The extraordinary work of late artist Alexander Calder will soon be displayed in his hometown of Philadelphia thanks to a dedicated new sculpture garden designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

The Calder Foundation has shared renderings of the forthcoming Calder Gardens project ahead of its anticipated fall groundbreaking on a 1.8-acre site located adjacent to other prominent arts institutions along the city’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The images appear to show a sunken structure with subterranean galleries that emerge into a dynamic 18,000-square-foot main building surrounded by gardens manicured by famed landscape designer Piet Oudolf. HdM says that the project "blurs the boundaries between architecture and the natural world" and is thus intended to "unfold as a choreographed progression that moves visitors from the quotidian city context to a more contemplative realm beyond the traditional museum experience" in order to "catalyze discovery and reflection."

"This was actually an open-ended process rather than a finished concept based on a fixed program. A kind of conceptual path which made us carve out the ground rather than build forms and volumes above — we were looking for space to present Calder’s work in a new and unprecedented way," founding partner Jacques Herzog explained in a project announcement. "That space in the making eventually grew into a whole sequence of different galleries and also rather unexpected spaces, niches and gardens. And not only galleries in the classical sense, but every corner and angle, every stair and corridor should be offering itself up as a place to put art." 

The firm says that a "seamless relationship" between the building and outdoor spaces is central to the design of the new Gardens, which replaces a demolished former Calder Sculpture Garden that existed near the site until 2009. Its landscaping will be seasonal to coincide with the cyclical rotation of Calder's work. As Oudolf explains: "I see my gardens as living sculptures where change is constant. The site is like a canvas to work on, and each plant has a personality that must work with the others. For [the] Calder Gardens, the horticultural design must also serve the works of art."

"My hope is that people will take the time to stand still and think here, to fully experience these elements together and have an emotional reaction that stays with them long after their visit," he continued. "It’s not about what you see but what you sense.”

Local mainstay Ballinger will serve as the executive architect for the Garden’s construction, which the Foundation expects to be completed by 2024. The final product should inspire a more thoughtful presentation of one of America’s leading late-modern artists. As Calder wrote in 1933, "The esthetic value of these objects cannot be arrived at by reasoning. Familiarization is necessary."