Akron Art Museum Expansion by Coop Himmelb(l)au
Coop Himmelb(l)au to complete its first U.S. public project this July—the Akron Art Museum expansion.
Sheila Kim-Jamet -- Interior Design, 2/23/2007 12:00:00 AM
Coop Himmelb(l)au will complete its first U.S. public project this July: an expansion of Ohio’s Akron Art Museum, a 19th-century Renaissance revival building. Selected in an international competition, the firm has integrated a new 63,300-square-foot facility with the existing 21,000-square-foot building (which originally was a city post office).
The $42 million project features a soaring new entry—the Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby. The three-story glass space, dubbed the “Crystal,” is a focal point that connects the art, education, administration, and public program spaces. Coop Himmelb(l)au also added a flexible exhibition space that will accommodate both permanent collection works and temporary exhibitions (1/3 of the new galleries devoted to the changing exhibits). A third design element in the expansion project is a dramatic cantilevered steel armature that extends over both the original and new buildings to create a sort of symbolic gesture. “The design embraces the past, rather than replacing and destroying it,” explains Coop Himmelb(l)au founder Wolf D. Prix. “It uses architecture to create a public space within the city, and a private space within our souls—reinventing both the city and ourselves at the same time.” The new public amenities will include a café with both indoor and outdoor seating, a museum shop, expanded outdoor spaces on the museum’s plaza, and the Lehner Family Auditorium, which will host films, lectures, music performances, and panel discussions. When it opens this summer, the museum will be presenting as its inaugural exhibition “Prized Images: The Knight Purchase Award for Photographic Media 1991-2006,” comprising approximately 118 photographic works acquired by the institution. Other highlights include sketches, digital renderings, photos, and plans of the building’s expansion design and construction; a site-specific wall mural by acclaimed artist Sol LeWitt; and a special multimedia commission, Women at an Exhibition, featuring the music of Randall Woolf and videos by Mary Harron and John C. Walsh.
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Jason D. Gupta - 2007-11-25 09:13:00 EST
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