Asia Society Texas Center_Houston_by Yoshio Taniguchi

The Asia Society of Texas was founded in 1979 as a division of the Asia Society of New York in an attempt to link the state to that other important and growing region of the globe. As the organization progressed its vision through different events and venues all over the city, it realized that in order to flourish, it needed its own home base. In 2003, the Asia Society of Texas purchased a 2.3-acre site in Houston’s renowned museum district; the next year the block across the street was bought as the parking lot. In that same year, Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi was chosen to design the building. Harvard-educated, he is the sun of another well know architect, Yoshiro Taniguchi that design the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. Construction began in 2010 and was completed in just over a year. Its 40,000 square feet is spread over two stories and basement, resulting in a low-slung profile fitting comfortably into its residential surroundings. Opened its doors to the public on April 14, 2012, making a difference in Houston’s architecturally rich cityscape.| Photos by Martin Grossmann, July 2014 | URL: https://asiasociety.org/texas