New Museum Expansion
OMA NY · Bowery · 2026
West facade of the flagship building (left) and the extension (right).
Construction has wrapped up at the extension to the New Museum of Contemporary Art on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Designed by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas of OMA, the seven story structure sits adjacent to the 2007 SANAA flagship building and includes 60,000 square feet of additional program space. The building will include three floors of galleries, additional space for the Museum’s community and education programs, a permanent home for NEW INC, and increased public amenities and improved vertical circulation.
West facade from Prince Street.
West facade from the Bowery.
Close-up of the west facade.
Atrium stair at the ground floor.
Looking up at the atrium stair.
Atrium stair detail.
Construction Update: Google Charleston East and Bay View Campus
Charleston East Campus
Construction is nearing completion at Google’s Charleston East campus expansion next to the original Googleplex campus in Sunnyvale, California. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Thomas Heatherwick, the 645,000 square foot campus features a hangar like canopy that allows for flexibility in locating walls and floor below. According to BIG, their strategy for the building was to “create a replicable and scalable building typology that is also adaptable and inclusive” to Google’s other potential expansion sites nearby.
Close-up of the roof with stainless steel edge profile and pv shingle installation underway.
Smile-shaped clerestories of bird-safe glass bring direct, indirect, and diffused natural light into the building.
Bay View Campus
Along with the Charleston East Campus, BIG and Heatherwick have designed three similar structures at the Bay View Campus on the grounds of the NASA Ames Research Center. Like Charleston East, these structures feature the canopy structure clad in pv shingles and clerestory glass.
Close-up of the roof clad with PV shingles.
Architects: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) with Thomas Heatherwick; Client: Alphabet; Program: Office; Location: Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, CA; Completion: 2022.
Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Southwest corner of the temple (left) and the new pavilion (right).
At the corner of Wilshire and Hobart Boulevard sits the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a worship space for the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. The Moorish-style building, completed in 1929 by architect Abram M. Edelman, will soon be joined by a new multi-purpose event space for both the congregation and the surrounding city. Designed by Shohei Shigematsu of OMA New York, the Audrey Irmas Pavilion sits adjacent to the 1929 temple in a 5-story trapezoidal form that respects the landmarked building by sloping away from it, opening up a view corridor to the temple’s east facade.
South facade of the temple (left) and the new pavilion (right).
The pavilions trapezoidal massing is punctured by three distinct volumes - a main event space, a smaller multi-purpose room and a sunken garden - that frame views of the temple and the surrounding neighborhood.
Southwest corner of the Audrey Irmas Pavilion.
Exterior cladding for the pavilion pays homage to the temple dome’s octagonal tiling with hexagonal glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels. The pavilion is clad in 1280 of these panels, which are approximately five-and-a-half feet tall and weigh 200 pounds. Rectangular windows and louver screens are inset into the hexagons and rotated in a randomized pattern that lends further texture to the facade.
South facade of the Audrey Irmas Pavilion.
The main event space on the ground floor will reference the temple’s iconic dome with its 36-foot tall arced ceiling that spans the entire width of the space. Extending north to south, the arc creates a column free space capable of hosting a variety of programs. A skylight at the ceiling will allow for views of the temple’s dome, continuing the building’s engagement with the existing structure.
Above the main event space, the second floor will offer a chapel, meeting spaces, and a west facing outdoor terrace with views to the existing temple . Offices will occupy the third floor.
Southeast corner of the Audrey Irmas Pavilion.
The fourth floor will serve as the future home of the Wallis Annenberg Center on Purposeful Aging with programming dedicated to wellness, creativity, tech exploration, social connection, community engagement, and financial security.
A sunken garden extends vertically through the pavilion floors up to the roof, furthering the vertical connection of space with circular and semi-circular slab openings. The roof terrace will feature numerous planters and olive trees
Architect: OMA New York (Design Architect), Gruen Associates (Executive Architect); Structure, MEP, Facades: Arup; Landscape Architect: Studio-MLA; Performance Space Consultants: Theatre DNA; Signage and Graphic Design: Space Agency; Civil Engineering: Rhyton Engineering; Lighting: L'Observatoire International; Client: Wilshire Boulevard Temple; Program: ; Location: Koreatown, Los Angeles, CA; Completion: Mid 2021.
Tour: Pier 55 - Little Island
Heatherwick Studio’s park, known as Little Island, at Pier 55 in Hudson River Park has officially opened. Located near the Meatpacking District and the High Line, the design of the 2.4 acre park features an undulating field of 132 pots with plantings sitting on 280 concrete piles. At the park’s peak, the pots rise 30 feet into the air and can weigh more than 90 tons. Four to six petals of lightweight concrete combine to form each of the pots. MNLA led the landscape design, which is inspired by the textures and colors of coastal Acadia National Park in Maine. The park offers a 700-seat amphitheater for music, dance, and theater productions, along with numerous pathways and viewing platforms.
Architect: Heatherwick Studio; Landscape Architect: Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architect; Client: Hudson River Park; Program: park; Location: Meatpacking District, New York, NY; Completion: 2021.
Tour: The Reach at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Steven Holl Architects’ expansion of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. officially opens on September 7. Known as The Reach, the expansion is located on 4.6 acres immediately south of the original 1971 structure by Edward Durell Stone. Rather than build onto the existing structure, the architect has designed a series of pavilions sited on the largest green roof in Washington, DC. The pavilions and connecting underground spaces house rehearsal rooms and classrooms, a lecture hall, multipurpose meeting rooms, and an event space. Holl envisions his design as a means to connect the expansion with the landscape and the adjacent Potomac River.
Holl employs titanium white, board-formed concrete and backlit clear and etched glass windows as the primary exterior materials for the three pavilions.
The pavilions sit within a four season landscape of expansive lawns, wild grasses, sedum varietals, and a ginkgo grove. Pathways are defined by bluestone pavers.
Welcome Pavilion
Welcome Lobby
The entry lobby features a visitors desk, coffee bar, and a Wall of Gratitude recognizing leadership donors.
Justice Forum
The Justice Forum, named after one of the five ideals commonly attributed to President Kennedy, is a 144 seat lecture hall with the capacity for film screenings and small-format performances. Primary finishes include cherry wood and “crinkle concrete” that diffuses sound waves with its faceted shape created by the unique formwork.
Multipurpose Studios
Skylight Pavilion
The Skylight Pavilion serves as a public atrium space that can accommodate special events, seated dinners, and receptions. Acoustic plaster covers the walls and ceiling within the 36-foot tall space, while a large curved glass opening allows for views out to the river, lower lawn, and reflecting pool.
River Pavilion
The River Pavilion serves as a flexible interior and exterior space with dramatic views of the Potomac River, the River Plaza and reflecting pool.
Sculpture
The Bridge
A pedestrian bridge spans Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, connecting the Kennedy Center campus to the Potomac riverfront.
Construction Update: The JFK Center for the Performing Arts Expansion
Exterior wall construction is nearing completion at the expansion of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the expansion is located immediately south of the original 1971 structure by Edward Durell Stone. Rather than build onto the existing structure, the architect has designed a series of structures that will house rehearsal rooms and classrooms, a lecture hall, multipurpose meeting rooms, and an event space. Holl envisions his design strategy as a means to connect the expansion with the landscape and the adjacent Potomac River.
Architect: Steven Holl Architects (Design Architect), BNIM (Architect of Record); Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates; MEP Engineer: Arup; Landscape Architect: Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects; Envelope Consultant: Thornton Tomasetti; Client: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Program: Performing Arts; Location: Washington, D.C.; Completion: Fall 2019.
Tour: Institute for Contemporary Arts at VCU
East facade from West Broad Street.
Steven Holl Architects' latest museum, the Institute for Contemporary Art's Markel Center, has opened on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth Universityin Richmond, Virginia.
Looking up at the performance space volume.
The centerpiece of the design is the 33 foot high forum located at the intersection of West Broad Street and North Belvidere Street. Off of this main forum volume, visitors can access the 240-seat auditorium, sculpture garden, and the four contemporary art galleries that fork into multiple volumes along West Broad Street.
Looking up at the forum and performance space volumes intersection.
Pre-weathered titanium zinc, the primary cladding material, was selected for its environmental friendliness as a 100% recyclable material and its flexibility in cladding the curved shapes of the museum.
Northeast corner from West Broad Street.
Other sustainable features of the design include the use of 7,500-square-feet of green roofs on three of the four galleries and the use of geothermal wells for the central heating/cooling system. The wells are drilled down to approximately 460 feet and use the earth as a heat source in the winter and a heat sink in the summer for the building's climate control system.
Sculpture Garden
North entry.
Northwest corner at the sculpture garden.
Entry door hardware detail.
Forum
South entry.
Ground Floor Gallery
Stair railing detail.
Sculpture Terrace Garden
Second Floor Galleries
Third Floor Gallery
Performance Space
Cafe
Basement
Architect: Steven Holl Architects with BCWH Architects; Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associate; Mechanical Engineers: Arup, OLDS; Landscape: Michael Boucher Landscape Architect; Client: Virginia Commonwealth University; Program: Museum; Location: Richmond, VA; Completion: Spring 2018.
Tour: Cornell Tech Campus
Northwest corner of the Cornell Tech campus.
The first phase of the new campus for Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island has officially for the fall semester. Established under a partnership between Cornell University and the Israel Institute of Technology, Cornell Tech serves as a graduate school for applied sciences that hopes to nurture the future of New York's growing tech industry. When the full master plan is realized in 2043, the completed campus will house 2 million square feet of space and 12 acres of open space for approximately 2,500 occupants.
Campus signage.
The Bloomberg Center
The Bloomberg Center, designed by Morphosis, serves as the main academic building for the first phase of the Cornell Tech campus. Faculty and students will be able to work independently and collaboratively in the building’s flexible space. Interaction with the public will be facilitated through the café and terrace. As with the other buildings on campus, The Bloomberg Center will pursue aggressive sustainability standards as it sets a goal of being the largest Net Zero energy use building in the United States. All of its energy will be generated on site through the use of geothermal wells for heating and cooling and a canopy of solar panels at the roof.
North façade of The Bloomberg Center.
Looking up at the east façade of The Bloomberg Center.
Southeast corner of The Bloomberg Center.
Morphosis has designed an iconic metal panel façade to cover the unitized, continuously insulated rainscreen wall system. A system of perforations in the panels catches the sunlight to create an organic pattern visible on campus and from afar.
Looking up at the south façade of The Bloomberg Center.
Southwest corner of The Bloomberg Center.
Close-up of the perforated metal panel façade of The Bloomberg Center.
The Bridge at Cornell Tech
The Bridge at Cornell Tech, designed by Weiss/Manfredi and developed by Forest City Ratner Companies, will serve as a corporate co-location facility to bring together established tech companies, startups, and academic researchers to accelerate the introduction of new technologies to the market. The 230,000 square foot building will pursue a minimum of LEED Silver with sustainable features such as 16,500 square feet of rooftop solar panels, efficient water fixtures, stormwater capture, and a ground floor elevated 10 feet above the 100 year flood plane. A glass curtain wall with a vertical frit pattern clads the steel structure, offering expansive light and views to the 14 foot floor to floor height work spaces.
Northeast corner of The Bridge.
Southwest corner of The Bridge.
Close-up of the façade of The Bridge.
Lobby of The Bridge.
The House at Cornell Tech
The House at Cornell Tech, designed by Handel Architects and developed in partnership with The Hudson Companies and The Related Companies, will offer 350 residential units for students and faculty of the college. Rising to a height of 270 feet, the tower is the tallest building on campus and will be the world’s tallest Passive House designed structure at completion. The Passive House energy standard was developed in Germany and is considered the most rigorous energy efficiency standard in the world. Buildings designed to this standard typically achieve energy consumption reduction of 60% to 80% that of a similar code building.
Northwest corner of The House.
Looking up at the south façade of The House.
As part of the energy efficient design of the building, the façade is clad in unitized mega panels of metal panel and punched windows that are designed and prefabricated for better control of air infiltration, reducing heating and cooling loss. A special color changing paint is employed on the metal panels that will shift from silver to warm champagne in the natural light. The southwest corner of the façade features a vertical strip of louvers that act as the building’s “gills”, concealing the outdoor space where the heating and cooling equipment are housed.
Residential entry at The House.
Amenities will include furnished common spaces, fitness center, landscaped ground floor porch and rooftop terraces, rooftop party room, and bicycle storage.
Southwest corner of The House.
Architects: SOM (Master Plan, Central Utility Plant), Landscape Architects: Field Operations (Open Space Master Plan, Campus Open Space); Location: Roosevelt Island, New York, NY; Completion: 2017.
BLOOMBERG CENTER:
Architect: Morphosis; Structural Engineer: Arup; MEP Engineer: Arup; Facade Consultant: Arup; Client: Cornell University; Program: Education.
THE BRIDGE AT CORNELL TECH:
Architect: Weiss/Manfredi; Program: Office.
THE HOUSE AT CORNELL TECH:
Architect: Handel Architects; Structural Engineer: Buro Happold; MEP Engineer: Buro Happold; Facade Consultant: Socotec; Sustainability and Passive House Consultant: Steven Winter Associates; General Contractor: Monadnock Construction; Client: Cornell University, Related Companies, Hudson Companies; Program: Residential.
