One of the jewels in New Jersey’s cultural crown is Princeton University’s Art Museum, which was established in 1882, and whose present collection exceeds 110,000 objects. The museum is known for its Greek and Roman antiquities and Western European paintings. It also has a noteworthy collection of Asian art, as well as an extensive photography array.
But like most other institutions, Princeton’s museum only has enough space to exhibit a tiny fraction of its collection. Last month, the Art Museum unveiled the designs for a new 144,000-sf museum that would double the size of the existing building. James Steward, the museum’s director, estimates that the percentage of objects on view from permanent collections would triple to 6% in the new building, from 2% in the existing museum. And elements of visible storage will be featured throughout the new building.
Demolition of the existing museum—which is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic—is expected to begin in the middle of next year, with the goal of reopening in the new museum by late 2024.
CAMPUS ART MUSEUM DESIGN ALLOWS FOR GREATER ACCESS, CIRCULATION
Architect Sir David Adjaye’s three-story design breaks down the mass of the museum by creating nine interlocking cubes that relate to the scale of the university structures around it. (The current museum is located in the middle of the university’s wooded main campus.) Adjaye Associates collaborated on the museum’s design with executive architect Cooper Robertson.
There will be six ground-floor entrances in the new building (as opposed to one in the existing museum), making what Adjaye calls “a museum in the round.” The design also creates two enclosed “art walks” running north-south and east-west through the building’s ground floor.
A singular “lens” moment at the complex’s northeast corner creates an intimate viewing and reading room, affords views onto the campus, and shapes a display opportunity for unique works from the collections. Image: Adjaye Associates
Each of the museum’s seven pavilions will include intimate spaces made from bronze and glass. All of the galleries will be on the second floor, a move that’s intended to smudge the lines that traditionally demarcate art by geography and historical period.
A CAMPUS WITHING A CAMPUS, THE ART MUSEUM WILL BE A DYNAMIC LEARNING CENTER
The double-height Grand Hall sits at the heart of the Museum complex and will function as a lecture hall and performance space that will host many of the Museum’s larger events. Image: Adjaye Associates
The design also includes outdoor terraces and spaces for performance and events that can accommodate anywhere from 200 to 2,000 people. These spaces include a hall for lectures, performances, and events; classrooms, two labs and a rooftop café. The design also shapes a new home for the University’s Department of Art & Archaeology, while retaining Marquand Library. Together, the three units would create a campus within a campus, and will continue to function as a dynamic center for research and teaching.
“I want the building to feel that it’s not just a hall of sacred objects but as … a common hall, so students can just go there if they feel like it and want to work close to those objects,” says Adjaye, whose firm was selected for this project in 2018. “If they have a compelling urge to see an incredible print or a sculpture or a delicate ceramic or bronze piece, it becomes a resource.”
The new museum will be built on the site of the older building, and be home to the university's Art & Archeology department. Image; Princeton University Art Museum
Steward, the museum’s director, told the Art Newspaper that 98% of the funds for the construction have been raised. He declined to disclose the construction cost.
Adjaye Associates has several prominent museum projects under its belt. It was one of several architect firms involved in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC. The firm also designed the Studio Museum that’s under construction in Harlem in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, and the Ruby City art center in San Antonio.
Adjaye also served as a visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Architecture from 2008 to 2010.
Related Stories
Museums | Apr 23, 2015
Moshe Safdie unveils pentagonal scheme for National Medal of Honor Museum
The new museum near Charleston, S.C., will archive the history of the nation's highest military honorees.
Museums | Apr 22, 2015
Check out Ralph Johnson's stunning nature-inspired Shanghai museum
The newly opened Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by Perkins+Will’s Global Design Director Ralph Johnson, mimics the shape of a nautilus shell, and features natural elements throughout.
Museums | Apr 16, 2015
SANAA and Snøhetta tie at first place for Budapest museum bid
The two firms submitted designs for the New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum, one of five planned museums to be constructed in a park just outside the urban center of Hungary’s capital.
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Apr 14, 2015
Fire resistive curtain wall brings maximum light, views and safety to Aspen Art Museum
The curtain wall used for the Shigeru Ban-designed museum provides maximum daylight while protecting the art from fire
Museums | Apr 10, 2015
Henning Larsen Architects designs timber museum extension in Sweden
The new extension will complement Österund’s wooded surroundings
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
14 projects that push AEC teaming to the limits
From Lean construction to tri-party IPD to advanced BIM/VDC coordination, these 14 Building Teams demonstrate the power of collaboration in delivering award-winning buildings. These are the 2015 Building Team Award winners.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
9/11 museum triumphs over controversy
The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.
High-rise Construction | Mar 16, 2015
Mexican Museum tower caught in turmoil to break ground this summer in San Francisco
Millennium Partners said it will break ground on the 53-story residential and museum tower while the lawsuits go through the appeals process.
Museums | Mar 9, 2015
Architecture based on astronomy principles for new planetarium in Shanghai
The ancient Chinese civilization left some of the earliest records of humans studying the stars and skies. To exhibit this long history, a new planetarium and astronomy museum is planned for construction in Shanghai.
Museums | Mar 5, 2015
A giant, silver loop in Dubai will house the Museum of the Future
The Sheikh of Dubai hopes the $136 million museum will serve as an incubator for ideas and real designs—a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.