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 cost US$140m (€123m, £91.6m), with funding coming from billionaire philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, founders of the The Broad Art Foundation.

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

The 120,000sq ft (11,150sq m), three-storey gallery and museum offers two floors of exhibition space centred around an archive called The Vault, which takes up the entire second floor.

Although most museum design aims to keep the archives out of site, the Broad counters this, with the vault playing a key part in the visitor experience.

Although not allowed to enter, guests can look through strategically positioned openings at what's stored inside the vault, which contains the Broad’s collection of more than 2,000 paintings, photos and sculptures.

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.

Opening date set for The Broad, Diller Scofidio + Renfro's contemporary art museum

Los Angeles art gallery The Broad to open January 2014