Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Preservation Studios worked with Shohei Shigematsu of OMA Architecture on the largest reinvestment and expansion in the museum's 160-year history. The $230 million project included extensive rehabilitation of the two historic museum buildings along with the design and construction of a new building on the campus, set within a historic Omsted landscape. Our teamed provided in-depth guidance through the complete design process to navigate the SHPO compliance review, the local preservation board, and a multitude of other invested parties, all while balancing the programatic needs of the museum.
Address
1285 Elmwood Avenue - Buffalo, NY
Timeframe
2017 to 2023
The National Register listed buildings include the original 1905 neoclassical structure designed by local architect E.B. Green and the 1962 modernist addition, designed by internationally recognized architect Gordon Bunshaft. The buildings are set within Delaware Park, part of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Buffalo Park System and throughout the project, maintaining the historic integrity of the buildings and their landscape setting was a central priority. The new 2023 building by Shohei Shigematsu responds to long-standing spatial limitations that previously limited the museum to displaying less than 2% of its collection at any given time. In addition to the rehabilitation work and new building, the open courtyard at the 1962 addition was enclosed by Common Sky, a site-specific installation by Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann of Studio Other Spaces.
