| The expansion of the Akron Art Institute involves a 50,000 sf addition to the existing facility, a 14,000 sf Italian Renaissance building built in 1899 as a post office. The new building will be constructed immediately south of the existing building, with the front entrance facing South High Street. The existing Myers Sculpture Courtyard will become the new grand lobby. Galleries will be located one level above the entrance and will extend all the way from South High Street to South Broadway. With this design, the architect proposed to intersect the new and the old building in a dynamic way, by creating a zone of leakage allowing the city to flow into the building and art to flow out of the building. The building is broken up into 3 parts: the Crystal, the Gallery-Box and the Roof Cloud. The Crystal signifies main entry and operates as a space for orientation. Include in The Crystal is an auditorium, classrooms, library, café and bookstore. The Gallery Box is an independent space which is highly controllable and changeable. It is one unified space with long span structure that can be built out freely based on the needs of each exhibit. The Roof Cloud hovers above the building creating a blurred envelope for the museum, and also operates as a horizontal landmark in the city. In total, the new 63,000 sf building will include 19,000 sf of galleries, a 150-seat auditorium, a café and a bookstore. |
