In Omaha, Neb., the Joslyn Art Museum, which displays art from ancient times to the present, has announced it will reopen on September 10, following the completion of its new 42,000-sf Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion. Designed in collaboration with Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, the Hawks Pavilion is part of a museum overhaul that will expand the gallery space by more than 40%.
The Hawks Pavilion extends from the Museum’s existing buildings as a curving, low-slung structure that emerges from a new glass entry atrium joining the original 1931 building with the 1994 addition. The transparent first floor also will enclose a new museum shop and community space. As it twists upward, the structure forms the walls of the Hawks Pavilion’s second-floor, day-lit exhibition galleries.
Snøhetta’s plan for the Joslyn Art Museum
Snøhetta’s design of the expansion aims to evoke the cloud formations above the Great Plains, as well as the deep overhangs and horizontal expression of Prairie School architecture.
In addition, visitors will encounter new and refurbished gathering spaces, renovated and additional studios, enhanced amenities for public programs and art education, and new sculpture gardens. The project also updates the 1931 building’s administrative area and renovates the existing cafe.
The Hawks Pavilion will offer the first public presentation of new acquisitions from the Phillip G. Schrager Collection, which the Joslyn says is perhaps the most significant gift of art it has received. The Pavilion’s works on paper gallery will present selections from a gift by Omaha native Ed Ruscha.
After the reopening, the Joslyn will feature the first complete reinstallation of the Museum’s collections since the original building opened. The reinstallation will emphasize the relevance of art and historical objects to contemporary issues and diversify the identities and experiences represented in the galleries.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Joslyn Art Museum
Design architect and landscape architect: Snøhetta
Architect of record: Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture
MEP engineer: Morrissey Engineering
Structural engineer: MKA
Structural engineer of record: Thompson Dreessen & Dorner
General contractor: Kiewit Building Group
![Hawks Pavilion entry atrium with views of the Joslyn Building, Scott Pavilion, and arrival garden. Rendering courtesy Moare](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joslyn%20Art%20Museum%20%20Hawks%20Pavilion%20Entry%20Atrium%20Design%20by%20Sn%C3%B8hetta%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20Moare.jpg)
![Interior twist connection looking into the new Hawks Pavilion from the glass atrium that connects it to the Joslyn Building and Scott Pavilion. Rendering courtesy Moare](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joslyn%20Art%20Museum%20%20Interior%20Twist%20Design%20by%20Sn%C3%B8hetta%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20Moare.jpg)
![South garden view of the Joslyn Art Museum. Rendering courtesy Moare](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joslyn%20Art%20Museum%20%20South%20Garden%20View%20Design%20by%20Sn%C3%B8hetta%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20Moare.jpg)
![East elevation of the Joslyn Building, Hawks Pavilion, central lawn, and courtyard garden. Rendering courtesy Moare](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joslyn%20Art%20Museum%20East%20Elevation%20Design%20by%20Sn%C3%B8hetta%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20Moare.jpg)
![Gallery view inside the new Hawks Pavilion, rendering courtesy Moare](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joslyn%20Art%20Museum%20Gallery%20View%20Design%20by%20Sn%C3%B8hetta%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20Moare.jpg)
![Northwest view of the new Hawks Pavilion entry drive. Rendering courtesy Moare](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joslyn%20Art%20Museum%20Hawks%20Pavilion%20Entry%20Drive%20Design%20by%20Sn%C3%B8hetta%2C%20rendering%20courtesy%20Moare.jpg)
Related Stories
| Jul 26, 2013
How biomimicry inspired the design of the San Francisco Museum at the Mint
When the city was founded in the 19th century, the San Francisco Bay’s edge and marshland area were just a few hundred feet from where the historic Old Mint building sits today. HOK's design team suggested a design idea that incorporates lessons from the local biome while creating new ways to collect and store water.
| Jul 22, 2013
Cultural Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from cultural facility projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
URS, STV, Wiss Janney Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jul 1, 2013
Report: Global construction market to reach $15 trillion by 2025
A new report released today forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to $15 trillion worldwide by 2025.
| Jun 28, 2013
Building owners cite BIM/VDC as 'most exciting trend' in facilities management, says Mortenson report
A recent survey of more than 60 building owners and facility management professionals by Mortenson Construction shows that BIM/VDC is top of mind among owner professionals.
| Jun 25, 2013
Mirvish, Gehry revise plans for triad of Toronto towers
A trio of mixed-use towers planned for an urban redevelopment project in Toronto has been redesigned by planners David Mirvish and Frank Gehry. The plan was announced last October but has recently been substantially revised.
| Jun 25, 2013
DC commission approves Gehry's redesign for Eisenhower memorial
Frank Gehry's updated for a new Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial in Washington, D.C., has been approved by the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, reports the Washington Post. The commission voted unanimously to approve the $110 million project, which has been gestating for 14 years.