Project Description
The new wing of the University of Michigan Museum of Art is located on a primary pedestrian route near the heart of the campus and creates a prominent gateway to the university’s art collection for both students and the public. The building expands the physical space of the existing 1910 Beaux Arts structure, which benefited from a restoration and modernization.
Jury: “A new addition to an existing historic building reads as a new building and true to itself.”
Client: “One of the primary goals of the project was to formulate a design that would attract students to enter the building and become influenced by the art contained within. The architect located a major gallery in the corner of the building with significant exposure to the pedestrian route and used similar materials and a simple modern form that does not compete with the architectural vocabulary of the existing historic buildings. The investment [in hiring the architects] is a small price to pay for securing an outcome that will have a lasting influence on campus for the next century.” —Douglas Hanna, university architect.