Matt Hickman is Senior News/Digital Editor at Architectural Record. Previously, he served as Senior Editor at The Architect’s Newspaper and has over a decade of experience as a freelance writer and editor specializing in historic preservation, public space, and the intersection of the natural world and built environment. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Matt holds an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from The New School.
The first phase of the Sunset Mausoleum project, designed by Lehrer Architects and Arquitectura y Diseño, accommodates 5,000 crypts within a soaring, open concrete structure.
The Spanish architect and engineer is not involved with the accessibility-improving project, which the city estimates will cost as much as 2 million euros.
Focused on improved accessibility and sustainability, the revamp will offer visitors a more seamless, easier-to-navigate gallery experience—and expanded outdoor spaces on the fourth and fifth floors.
Finalists in the international design competition include Kengo Kuma & Associates, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Selldorf Architects, Studio Gang, Weiss/Manfredi, and WHY.
The renovated 1977 Louis Kahn–designed building will feature reinstalled galleries, upgraded lighting, and more than 200 new skylights on its ‘fifth elevation.’