David Adjaye Unveils Plans for New Studio Museum in Harlem

via New York Times / Adjaye Associates

British architect David Adjaye is set to submit plans for new Studio Museum in Harlem. Designed to replace the 47-year-old museum's existing facility on Manhattan's West 125th Street, the new $122 million proposal will more than double the museum's space, allowing it to become a premier center for contemporary artists of African descent.

According to the New York Times, Adjaye was chosen to design the museum due to his sensitivity regarding the artists and surrounding neighborhood, which in turn inspired the project; the project's main space will feature a four-story, multi-use core marked by an "inverted stoop" that will act as an inviting "living room" and host for public programs.

“I wanted to honor this idea of public rooms, which are soaring, celebratory and edifying — uplifting,” he told the New York Times. “Between the residential and the civic, we learned the lessons of public realms and tried to bring those two together.”

The five-story, 71,000-square-foot project will include 10,000 square feet of galleries, education spaces, a cafe, a free roof area for sculpture and events, and studio space for three resident artists.

Adjaye will submit plans to the city next week. Construction is slated to begin in 2017 and completion scheduled for 2019.

News via New York Times