Grimshaw/Ammann & Whitney design for Queens Museum unveiled

The Queens Museum is set to undergo a long awaited expansion. After a national competition in 2001 naming Eric Owen Moss as architect for the project failed to produce a design Museum officials could endorse, the Museum hired Grimshaw Architects with Ammann & Whitney in 2005 to come up with another design, one that would respect the original building’s pedigree. That design was unveiled on 4 October. The expansion project more than doubles the size of the museum, adding 50,000 square feet of new galleries, flexible performance spaces, educational studios and visitor amenities. Seven new galleries are organized around a centrally located sky lit ‘Winter Garden’ that opens the building up to natural light, strengthens its connection to the adjacent park, and improves upon existing circulation. In addition to revamping the Museum’s interior, the architects have redesigned the building’s exterior with glass curtain walls to give the Institution greater visibility. The project will cost $37 million, 33 of which has already been secured. Ground breaking is scheduled for 2007 with completion slated for the winter of 2009/2010.