New Museum Plans Curved Extension Designed by OMA Architects

Manhattan’s New Museum is gearing up to receive an OMA-designed extension, featuring a curvilinear shape conceived in partnership with architecture firm Cooper Robertson. The incoming space — OMA’s first public building in New York — will adjoin a second building to the museum while ensuring to preserve the integrity of the initial structure, originally created by SANAA.

Standing at 60,000 square feet, the angular construction is composed of laminated glass and metal mesh and will encompass seven floors, including three levels that are dedicated to galleries, several areas catered to hosting community events and a permanent location for cultural incubator NEW INC. The extension will replace the institution’s 231 Bowery outpost, which has been used as additional gallery and office space for over a decade.

“The OMA design provides seamless connectivity and horizontal flow between the two buildings, expanded space for our unparalleled exhibition program, and access to some of our most innovative programs that the public currently cannot see,” said the New Museum’s Toby Devan Lewis Director, Lisa Phillips.

“A counterpart to the existing tower’s verticality and solidity, the new building will expand the galleries horizontally and reveal the vertical circulation through a transparent facade,” explained OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu.

Major points of interest are set to include the atrium stairs that feature views of the city, an expanded bookstore and an 80-seat restaurant. In total, the development will add 10,096 square feet of exhibition space once opened. Construction is set to begin later this year.

For more design news, take a look at the Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum of Qatar.