Plans have been approved to create a downtown art museum designed by Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré in Las Vegas, USA.

The city council approved initial plans for the 90,000-square-foot (8,350 square metre) Las Vegas Museum of Art, which is set to be built on a parking lot in the Symphony Park area of Downtown Las Vegas.

First render revealed

As part of the approval process, the trustees of the Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA) revealed the first rendering of the building concept.

Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Kéré, the building will contain two floors of gallery space raised above a lobby and entrance area.

The galleries will overhang the lower floor and shelter the entrance as part of a plan to turn the adjoining square into a "front porch" for the museum.

Design blends "beauty of the desert with local building principles"

According to Kéré the design was informed by both the city and the surrounding desert in Nevada.

"Our design blends the beauty of the desert environment with local building principles and the passion and collaborative spirit of the Las Vegas Museum of Art to create a space where dreams come to life," said Kéré.

"It is a tremendous honor, and a highlight of my professional journey, to create a space that will bring art and joy to the residents who call Las Vegas home."

The museum is set to be developed in partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which will lend the institution art and expertise in hosting exhibitions and running programs.

It will be built alongside The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Discovery Children's Museum as part of a growing cultural district in Symphony Park. Construction on the project is set to start before February 2027.

Kéré, who founded Kéré Architecture in 2005, was named the winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2022 and in 2023 was listed among Time's 100 most influential climate leaders.

Recent projects by the studio include a community centre in Uganda and a Kenyan education campus informed by termite mounds.

The image is courtesy of Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA).