OMA completes expansion of New Museum of Modern Art in New York: new volume doubles in size

According to the OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu, the key idea of ​​the project was the concept of interaction between two modern buildings, write Dezeen.

"We approached the question of what it means to build the modern next to the modern very carefully," the architect noted.

The new volume does not copy the existing building, but enters into a dialogue with it: it has a pentagonal shape, tapers upwards and at a certain point seems to "touch" the SANAA facade.

Facade and space

The facade is clad in laminated glass with a metal mesh — a reference to the aluminum shell of the old building, but with its own plasticity. From the street side, the new building looks restrained, but inside it opens up a deep multi-level space.

The central element is a large atrium area with a winding staircase connecting the two buildings at different levels. The architects call it a “social and visible condenser” that makes the museum more open.

On the upper levels, the facade has openings and terraces that offer views of the city, including the Bowery. (a historic district in Lower Manhattan, running along the street of the same name. Once known as a troubled area, today the Bowery has transformed into a trendy location with expensive lofts, hotels, restaurants, galleries, and museums, - ed. note).

Features and new capabilities

The first three floors are occupied by exhibition halls with high ceilings and neutral architecture. Above are offices and incubation spaces - the so-called "brain" of the building.

The fourth level features a large column-free space with an auditorium. The first floor features a public lobby that connects the old and new parts of the museum, as well as a restaurant integrated into the space as a separate "courtyard."

The entrance area is designed as an extension of the urban space: the street actually "enters" the building and ascends the stairs.

Museum Artistic Director Massimo Joni compared the new building to a prism that "refracts" artistic messages from around the world. According to him, this is exactly what corresponds to the mission of the institution.

 We previously wrote that Amsterdam completed the first school built using a modular wooden system designed by OMA.

 

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