Breaking ground in Michigan

The University of Michigan broke ground with a new $35.4 million art museum designed by Portland, Oregon-based Allied Works Architecture, led by Brad Cloepfil. The 53,000 square foot building, which was honored with a design award from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2004, will more than double the Museum’s existing facilities. It will house substantial new gallery space, state-of-the art collections storage, conservation and study area, an auditorium, classrooms, and public gathering spaces. The largely transparent addition consists of three wings organized in a “T-shape” that are raised a full storey above ground to preserve the openness of the site, which is a major circulation path to and from campus. These wings will be used to display sculpture and as public gathering space. To be constructed of glass, steel and limestone, the building is to be completed in the fall of 2008.