Studio Gang has certainly had a busy week. Following the completion of its Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts just a few days ago, the firm has now also finished work on its American Museum of Natural History extension, which features an extraordinary sculpted rock-like form.
The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, as it's now officially named, adds 230,000 sq ft (roughly 21,300 sq m) of new and renovated space to the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York City. The building's extraordinary design is informed by the way that wind and water carves out landscapes.
"The texture, color, and flowing forms of the Griffin Atrium were inspired by canyons in the southwestern US and animate the Gilder Center's grand entrance, evoking awe, excitement, and discovery," explained the museum's press release. "Its striking structure has been built by spraying concrete directly onto rebar without traditional formwork in a technique known as 'shotcrete,' invented in the early 1900s by museum naturalist and taxidermy artist Carl Akeley. The bridges and openings in the hand-finished shotcrete connect visitors physically and visually to multiple levels housing new exhibition galleries, designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates with the Museum's Exhibition Department, education spaces, and collections facilities, creating welcoming sightlines that encourage movement into and throughout the building."
Visitors to the museum enter into an impressive five-story atrium space that's topped by large skylights and filled with natural light. It offers access to three different levels of displays and exhibits, including an insectarium, a butterfly vivarium, and a digital exhibit on DNA. Bridges are installed at key points to provide views inside and out, and voids and windows offer glimpses into the different areas of the museum.
Studio Gang is targeting the LEED Gold green building standard for the project and its interior is designed to maximize natural light and air circulation. A well-insulated structure, along with deep-set windows and shading trees, help it maintain a relatively steady temperature in cold and heat. Additionally, its rounded windows use "bird-safe" fritted glass that's designed to help reduce bird casualties.
The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation officially opens to the public on May 4.
Source: Studio Gang
