The gallery section - in essence a free-standing building - has been the focus of much immediate construction attention. It will be clad in limestone on the outside and will replicate the Merion gallery on the inside.
The U-shaped building behind and around it - known as the pavilion building - will be constructed from structural concrete.
The design by New York architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien was unveiled last October.
Once the pavilion building is under roof, McDowell said, probably by the end of November, attention will turn to constructing the signature "light box," an illuminated steel-and-glass structure that will extend about 50 feet out from the gallery toward the Rodin Museum.
The Barnes is seeking the highest environmental certification for the project, McDowell said. Up to 10 percent of its electrical needs will be produced by solar power, and underground cisterns will capture rainwater, which will be used to water the extensive gardens surrounding the completed building. A water-retention system will divert water away from the sewer system, and second-floor galleries will be illuminated with natural light. Waterless urinals will be installed.
Construction on the gallery building should be completed by August 2011 so that heating and cooling systems and other environmental controls can be tested across three separate seasons before any art is moved in. The rest of the complex is scheduled for a January 2012 completion.
The decision to relocate the Barnes to Philadelphia did not happen without a fight.
