Eames Institute unveils plans for California museum campus

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity has released design renderings for its upcoming museum campus in Novato, California. The project involves the adaptive reuse of an 88.5-acre site, featuring a 1964 industrial building originally designed by architects John Savage Bolles and Jan Lubicz-Nycz. The architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron is leading the design effort alongside EHDD and Field Operations.

Instituted as a nonprofit in 2019, the organization intends to use the space to preserve the philosophies and work of designers Charles and Ray Eames. The campus will house furniture collections, maker spaces, and exhibition areas aimed at promoting the couple’s approach to industrial design and materials. CEO John Cary stated that the programming will focus on experimental and iterative learning.

The project has faced scrutiny regarding the involvement of early donor and Airbnb founder Joe Gebbia. Critics have questioned the alignment between Gebbia’s recent political statements and the Eameses’ historical advocacy for democratic, inclusive design. In response, Cary noted that Gebbia has no board or staff role, and that decision-making remains exclusively with himself and chief curator Llisa Demetrios.

The site sits near the existing Eames archive, providing a larger physical platform for the institute to exhibit historical objects and host educational programming.