The University of Michigan for The Museum of Art, with Allied Works Architecture; also Integrated Design Solutions; KPFF; ARUP, New York; Atwell-Hicks; SGH; R.A. Heintges; Pentagram

photo by Jeremy Bitterman

    
photo by Richard Barnes              photo by Jeremy Bitterman

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The purpose of the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) was to renovate and modernize Alumni Hall, a 40,362 square foot facility, and build an additional 53,452 square feet of space. Located at the gateway to the university’s main campus and adjacent to the local community, the museum offers direct engagement among the museum, students and the public.

“The museum directly engages the diverse campus and community audiences. It positions the museum as a town square for the 21st century and as one of the most dynamic university museums in the country,” says Kathryn A. Huss, interim co-director and chief administrative officer.

The new building includes expanded galleries, classrooms, open storage areas, a conservation lab, curatorial library, a café, and a 185-seat auditorium.

The expansion of the UMMA extends the programs and spaces of the historic Alumni Memorial Hall. Built as a memorial for University of Michigan graduates killed or wounded in several American wars, it is a solemn and introverted building, which has been restored to its original elegance.

In contrast to the mass and solidity of Alumni Memorial Hall, the new building is open and trans¬parent. A three-story vertical gallery defines the heart of the building; forms a periscope of space that draws views into the galleries above, and unifies the experience of the collections with unexpected orientations and associations to the art.

The jury said, “ . . . simple beautiful modern expression, well composed, nicely balanced, fits in well with this part of campus and complements that existing historical building in a way that breathes new life into this part of the campus . . .”

Project Team: The University of Michigan with Allied Works Architecture; also Integrated Design Solutions; KPFF; ARUP, New York; Atwell-Hicks; SGH; R.A. Heintges; Pentagram