The Broad, a new contemporary art museum, has become the latest addition to the Los Angeles cultural sector with the free-to-visit attraction opening to the public on Sunday (20 September).

Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in collaboration with Gensler, the museum, which somewhat resembles a cheese grater, cost US$140m (€123m, £91.6m) to develop, with funding coming from billionaire philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, founders of the The Broad Art Foundation.

The 120,000sq ft (11,150sq m) three-storey gallery and museum offers two floors of exhibition space centred around an archive known as ‘the vault’, which takes up the second floor. With most museum design developed to keep the archives out of site, the Broad counters this, with the vault playing a key part in the visitor experience. While not allowed to enter, guests can look through a glass elevator in the centre of the building and through strategically positioned openings at what is stored in the vault, which archives the Broad’s collection of more than 2,000 paintings, photos and sculptures.

The honeycomb structure cladding the building is made of concrete panels and steel, offering filtered natural light into the vast spaces. Visitors enter the building from either the north or south side, travelling up a 105ft (32m) escalator to the third floor gallery, which incorporates 318 skylights and high ceilings.

DS+R have also created a 24,000sq ft (2,230sq m) public plaza, offering Downtown LA a public space and pedestrianised area for the new architectural landmark, which sits among the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Music Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art.