The Studio Museum in Harlem

The new 85,000sf building for the Studio Museum in Harlem will showcase its permanent collection, accommodate larger temporary exhibitions, and provide ample space for public programs, artist studios, and classrooms. A “reverse stoop” opens the building to the street and leads visitors down into the museum. The five-story structure rises above the lobby with stacked galleries of different volumes organized around a light-filled atrium and central stair. A roof terrace provides spaces for sculptures and views of the city.

The structure consists of steel framing with slabs on metal deck. The column-free galleries require spans up to 48ft. The lateral stability system is a combination of moment frames and braced frames. The façades are clad with large custom precast concrete panels, with multiple setbacks and embossing separated by reveals, which give the impression of sculpted stacked volumes. The central stair is structured with a series of vertical steel trusses concealed within the terrazzo-clad railing.