Noguchi Museum Art and Archive Building

The site of the new Art and Archive Building is adjacent to Noguchi’s original studio—a one-story brick manufacturing building with clerestory windows on all sides that sits across from the Museum. The Noguchi Museum and its garden are much-beloved cultural spaces, and the proposal was designed to respect the existing complex and its relationship to Noguchi's studio.

The design extends the studio’s brick wall onto the new site, with the new building nestled behind it. The clerestory ribbon window, a key feature of the original studio, establishes a reference height for an opening in the archive area of the new building and provides indirect northern light.

The Museum’s architecture strikes a quiet but impactful balance through its use of everyday industrial materials such as concrete and brick masonry, and its interplay of outdoor and indoor spaces of varying proportions. The new building will be clad in corrugated anodized aluminum panels, reflecting the neighborhood’s industrial heritage, with careful detailing that captures the essence of the Museum’s architecture.

B-KD collaborated closely over many months with the museum board and staff, various city agencies, community stakeholders, and consultants to create a building that responds to the needs and wishes of the community. The 6,000 sq ft. archival building opens up the storage space on the ground floor to the public and creates a multi-functional space that can host talks, lectures, screening and other events for the museum and the community. The open storage concept will, for the first time in the museum’s history, give visitors access to a significant portion of the collection. Additional programming will transform the collection into a living, dynamic core of the museum—one which continually engages with the present.

Status

Bidding, Start of Construction in January 2021

Program

Archive Center and Art Storage Facility

Area

6,000 sf

Location

Queens, NY

Concept Diagrams

Ground Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Site Plan

Elevation