Project Description
The expansion of Cornell University’s iconic 1973 museum, also designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, achieves its own presence without diminishing the authority of the original building.
Retaining the buff-colored, architectural board-formed concrete of the earlier structure, the addition establishes a clear visual connection with its predecessor while affirming its independent identity. The new building houses the museum’s significant Asian art collection and includes a 150-seat lecture room, art studio, galleries, administrative space, and a large art-storage area. In quiet contrast to its monumental neighbor, the 17,200-square-foot addition is integrated into a sloping swath of lawn north of the existing museum.