FREDERICK R. WEISMAN ART MUSEUM – EXPANSION in Minnesota, Minneapolis by Gehry Partners LLP

Article source: Gehry Partners LLP

Phase II of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is conceived of as a natural extension of the original museum designed by Gehry Partners in 1993.

Phase II provides an additional 8,553 square feet of exhibition space on the north and east sides of the existing building.

On the southeast corner of the existing building, new gallery space is articulated as three rectangular volumes clad in the same brick as that used on the existing building. The new gallery space will provide the museum with space appropriate for the exhibition of works on paper, American art, and ceramics while animating the east side of the building that faces Coffman Memorial Plaza. These new galleries provide different scales and spatial relationships than the existing galleries, offering the museum increased flexibility in the planning of exhibitions.

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

• Architects: Gehry Partners LLP
• Project: FREDERICK R. WEISMAN ART MUSEUM – EXPANSION in Minnesota
• Location: Minnesota, Minneapolis ,USA
• CLIENT: University of Minnesota
• Client’s Project Manager: La Salle Group
• Design Principal: Frank O. Gehry
• Project Designer: Edwin Chan
• Associate architect: John Bowers
• Associate architect: Hammel, Green, & Abrahamson, Inc
  • Project Manager: Jim Goblirsch
  • Project Manager: John Cook
  • Project Architect: Rob Good

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

• Mechanical and   Electrical engineer: hammel, green, & abrahamson, inc.  ( Lance Kempf , Ben Gutierrez)
• Structural Engineer: Hammel, Green, & Abrahamson, Inc. Sean Cotton
• Civil Engineer: Rani Engineering
• Construction Manager: JE Dunn, Ken Styrlund, Vital Brouillard, Jeff Callinan, Brett Dunlap
• Lighting Consultant:  L’Observatoire International, (Herve Descottes, Alex Miller)
• SCHEDULE:
  • Begin Design: 2000
  • Begin Construction:  September 2009
  •  Completion: September, 2011

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

On the north side of the existing building, the new Target Gallery is articulated as a sculptural volume. This new gallery space is intended to provide the museum with space appropriate for the exhibition of special installations as well as with space appropriate for a variety of educational uses. The space has the flexibility to support a wide range of exhibitions and activities such as performances, new media installations, and lectures. The Target Gallery is intended to be an open and interactive space for creative collaborations between different design disciplines.

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

The placement of additional exhibition space on the north side of the existing building makes it necessary to widen the pedestrian bridge walkway to enhance and reinforce the link from Coffman Memorial Plaza to the Washington Avenue Bridge and the entrance to the museum. Both the new gallery space and the widened pedestrian bridge are clad in gently curving stainless steel panels to further integrate the walkway and the new gallery space with the architecture of the existing building.

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

Phase II of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum carries the formal language of the existing west façade around the building on the north and east sides in a natural continuation of the architectural expression first developed in the original design, allowing the entire museum to be seen as a unified and coherent whole.

Image Courtesy © Gehry Partners LLP

Tags: Minnesota, USA

Categories: Extention, Museum

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