Columbus Museum of Art Expansion and Renovation in Ohio by DesignGroup

Article source: DesignGroup

Under the design leadership of DesignGroup principal Michael Bongiorno, AIA, the museum design team has developed a bold and novel design strategy. DesignGroup asked provocative questions of CMA about both the relationship of the museum to contemporary culture and the museum’s physical relationship to the city and its citizens. From those questions, the design evolved out of our deep understanding of the particularities of the site, the imperatives of the programmatic relationships, and the redefinition of the museum’s relationship to its physical and social context. The building design, then, is a reflection of the museum’s ambition to be more visible, relevant, and connected to the community as a meeting point between art, the public and the physical city.

View of Columbus Museum of Art’s new Margaret M. Walter Wing with the Museum’s historic Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross Building, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

• Architects: DesignGroup
• Project: Columbus Museum of Art Expansion and Renovation
• Location: Columbus, Ohio, United States
• Photography: Brad Feinknopf

View of Columbus Museum of Art’s new Margaret M. Walter Wing with the Museum’s historic Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross Building, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Experientially, the project was guided by the study of the poetics of light, by harnessing the power of simplicity and essentialism, and by defining the visitor experience as a cinematic procession. Strategically, there are five noted features of the building design planning:

• The Atrium of Light
• Cinematic Facades
• The Upper Gallery
• The Special Event Spine
• Setting the Historic Jewel

Columbus Museum of Art’s new Margaret M. Walter Wing, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Columbus Museum of Art’s new Margaret M. Walter Wing and the glass atrium that joins the new wing to the historic Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross Building, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The building design concept is simple: a long bar of gallery space on the east side of the site is separated from the 1931 Ross Wing by a sky-lit concourse and entry forecourt which serve as the central organizing element of the project. The purpose of the concourse, in addition to acting as a hyphen between the historic wing and new addition, is multi-fold: a lobby, a cueing space, an event space, a meeting point, a circuit to connect to multiple program elements.

View of Columbus Museum of Art’s new Margaret M. Walter Wing with the Museum’s historic Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross Building at dusk, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Columbus Museum of Art’s new Margaret M. Walter Wing and the glass atrium that joins the new wing to the historic Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross Building at dusk, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

A series of bridges at the second floor crosses this concourse and connects the new galleries to the existing building. Recognizing that the historic 1931 Ross Wing is a beloved community icon, the new addition maintains the visual integrity of the original building exterior to the greatest degree possible. The addition will have a very different, but complimentary design to the 1931 Ross Wing. From an architectural perspective, the original building is an historic jewel, and the wing will become more of a setting that highlights the beauty of it.

View of the northern entrance to the Columbus Museum of Art and the new Margaret M. Walter Wing. The cinematic facades on the upper level afford a view of the galleries at the left of the picture. The Special Event Pavilion and terrace overlooking the sculpture garden can be seen at the right of the picture, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Columbus Museum of Art’s new sculpture garden featuring Aristide Maillol’s sculpture The Mountain as seen from the terrace located off the Special Event Pavilion, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The museum’s presence to the north and south is announced through “cinematic facades” that allow a dialogue between the museum interiors and the surrounding neighborhood. The entry forecourt is a gently sloping covered walk defined by, and accessing, the new sculpture garden to the West and a green space along Washington Avenue to the East. Semi-public program elements such as the retail store and café are strategically located with relation to outdoor spaces in order to provide the maximum amount of ground floor activation.

A new light-filled atrium welcomes Museum visitors. The admission desk is located to the left of the staircase that leads to the upstairs galleries. The bridges that join the historic Richard M. and Elizabeth M. Ross building and the new Margaret M. Walter Wing, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The bridge leading into the upper level galleries of the new Margaret M. Walter Wing, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The café is able to fully open itself to a terrace overlooking the sculpture garden by way of large folding glass wall panels. The new special event space, axially related to Derby Court, sits on the second floor overlooking the sculpture garden to the north. The sculpture garden is then accessed by stair from an outdoor terrace serving the special event space.

Mel Chin’s Spirit, a community favorite, has been installed in one of the new gallery spaces, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The new gallery space located at the southern end of the Margaret M. Walter Wing features a cinematic façade overlooking the Broad Street neighborhood, Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The entry forecourt is a gently sloping covered walk defined by, and accessing, the new sculpture garden to the west and a green space along Washington Avenue to the east. It serves as the museum’s main entrance. Semi-public program elements such as the retail store and café are strategically located with relation to this forecourt and other outdoor spaces to provide the most ground floor activation possible. Large folding glass wall panels allow the café to be fully opened to a terrace that overlooks the sculpture garden.

Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The large new sculpture and event garden is designed to accommodate the Museum’s compelling collection of outdoor works, in addition to events and dining. The Washington Avenue lawn is a tree-lined green space that serves the entry forecourt and will be the location of an iconic sculpture. The integration of these terraces, gardens, balconies and related elements allows for seamless, unwinding gallery experiences and total immersion in the Museum’s collection.

Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

On the building exterior, time-honored and context-specific materials are used in new ways. The exterior building materials include pre-patinated copper, Indiana limestone and curtainwall glazing. A durable building water table of granite also serves as exterior pavement within the forecourt and garden, as well as interior flooring within the entry concourse.

Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

Image Courtesy © Brad Feinknopf

The copper is deployed on the upper gallery using a proprietary system arranged in a pattern scripted by DesignGroup. Certain panels are perforated and screen a discreet light source that changes the character of the building in the evening. Strategically placed glazing and roof monitors are intended to create both framed views and opportunities for natural lighting. Much of the exterior building wall materials are continued into the building interior.

Image Courtesy © DesignGroup

Image Courtesy © DesignGroup

Image Courtesy © DesignGroup

Tags: Columbus, Ohio, United States

Categories: Museum, Renovation

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