Frame — "Museums Break Loose"
“Many great institutions were designed to be austere and imposing, which can feel out of step with today’s emphasis on egalitarian and engaging design. In recent years, extensions have become opportunities to not just expand the square footage of a space, but to reinvent its remit by fostering new connections and interactions.
A prime example of bridging a hallowed past and an innovative future comes from Studio Gang’s planned addition to the American Natural History Museum on New York’s Upper West Side. The undulating extension will sit at the heart of the ten-building campus, creating approximately 30 new connections between the existing buildings as well as a vast new series of modern galleries, breathing new life into a sprawling complex. ‘Through a network of new connections, people will be able to follow their own curiosity to discover treasures of natural history,’ said studio founder Jeanne Gang at the groundbreaking ceremony last summer, explaining how this collection of once distinct buildings will be unified into a singular, fluid experience.”
Related
Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation Wins 2020 Progressive Architecture Award
Studio Gang’s Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History was selected as a winner in the 67th Annual Progressive Architecture Awards, recognizing how the project uses design to draw connections between individual users and the communities around it.
New York Magazine — "The Elemental Architecture of Jeanne Gang"
“A Chicago architect renowned for her sublime engineering makes buildings that really work for New Yorkers.”
