New Museum of Contemporary Art in NYC
Architectural Landmark Recreates Bilbao Effect for Bowery
Jan 5, 2009
Resembling a haphazard collection of boxes piled one on top of the other, the New Museum of Modern Art has realized supporters’ wildest dreams. It is at once provocative, anti-bourgeois and a beacon for contemporary art lovers who eschew tawny galleries for more nervy cultural experiences.
The museum replaced an 8,000 square foot parking lot with a 60,000 square foot building at $50 million. Japanese architectural firm SANAA has accomplished a definitive statement working with a slight purse by current museum construction standards. The resulting seven storey structure is both artful and spare. It rivals more expensive museum design and accomplishes something many recent museums have not; it is a great space to hang and view art.
The overriding objective was to recreate the Bilbao effect: to produce an eye-catching and intriguing building that would become a destination in New York. Once visitors are in the front doors, the museum sells them on the quality of its programming and visitor experience.
Overriding Design Goal: Openness
In an Architectural Record video about the New Museum, deputy director Lisa Roumell explains the genesis of the design. A sense of openness was the overriding design goal and it is evident in a handful of ways:
- The lobby is a fish bowl, completely transparent and open to the street. “Come see what’s on view,” is the message.
- Exhibit spaces are column-free, creating a curator’s dream when it comes to contemporary art installations.
- Skylights, providing views to the sky, are created at each level by the setbacks from one level to another.
- A sky room on the seventh floor has floor to ceiling windows and great views across the city.
Design Features
SANAA designed the floors as cantilevered boxes piled one on top of the other, permitting the creation of large, open spaces and allowing curators diverse choices in arranging exhibits. Temporary dividing walls can be installed as required.
Deploying cantilevered boxes enabled the architects to achieve two other objectives:
- The design addresses zoning setbacks for the site and maximizes square footage without overpowering the pedestrian at street level.
- Each time the boxes shift from one floor to another, opportunities for controlled natural lighting through skylights are created.
SANAA stayed true to the tough nature of the neighbourhood and the scrappy past of the institution by exposing the structural underpinning of the building. Large steel posts anchor all four corners. These posts are open to plain view and are unmistakably massive and gritty.
Shimmering Double Façade
The exterior of the museum has received a lot of attention. Writing about its surface in the November 30, 2007 issue of The New York Times, critic Nicolai Ouroussoff states, “Its protective armor of shimmering aluminum mesh is a great ornamental screen. Exquisitely detailed, it is backed by a second layer of metal panels, giving the surface a subtle depth.”
The façade is entirely appropriate for a museum of modern art that wants to strut its stuff and convince gallery goers to enter its doors. The building at 235 Bowery succeeds as public art, neighbourhood icon and exhibition space. Most importantly, it demonstrates that art is relevant, by fitting into its community and offering residents a lively and handsome addition to their public space.
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