Los Angeles Milliøns Studio Renovates East Wing of Everson Museum of Art New York the state is designed by an architect IM Peiintroduction of reflective and colorful materials into the basement space.
Located in Syracuse and built in 1968, Everson Museum of Art (The Everson) consists of three floors of interconnected concrete volumes organized around a central atrium and houses a collection of predominantly American art and ceramics.
Millions It was originally created to design a new Cafe Louise for the museum, but after discussions with the studio's co-founders Zeina Koreit and John May, and the museum's director Elizabeth Dunbar, the project was expanded to include the entire east wing.
The east wing is located in a narrow rectangular volume attached to one side of the building and includes an underground space connected to the second floor balcony via an atrium.
“The designers were inspired by Pei’s brutalist masterpiece, and especially by Everson’s use of mass to create intense contrasts of dark and light,” the team said.
The cafe The gallery wraps around the atrium on the second floor, while administrative offices, open space and a library are located on the lower level.
Milliøns not only integrated more light throughout the wing, but also sought to distribute the various programs throughout the space, which was originally divided between public galleries and private space for museum staff.
“The East Wing has always had an ambiguous relationship with the rest of the museum,” the team said. “The top floor is accessible to the public, but the lower floor is only accessible to staff, despite the two being visually and acoustically connected by a double-height atrium called Mather Court.”
“The renovation transforms the lower level into a semi-public space for events and exhibitions, and creates a new research library and renovated staff offices.”
To offset the darkness of the basement level, the studio used colourful and reflective surfaces and materials throughout the wing.
“We wanted to create a contrast between the existing rough, desaturated textures and the inserted reflective, hypersaturated textures,” the studio said.
“We like to work with colour as a dimensional finish rather than as a secondary or surface layer.”
To achieve this effect, the studio created two 'glass towers' between the concrete structures of Mather Court.
The towers display part of a collection of 4,000 ceramic objects donated by a ceramic collector. Louise Rosenfieldwho donated the ceramics to the project with the note that they were to be used by the public and not just displayed.
“The design is based on a series of two-story glass towers that house the Rosenfield collection while simultaneously filling the space with light,” the team said.
“The towers feature open shelves that allow café patrons to easily reach any ceramic item they want to eat or drink, a rare occurrence where the boundaries between art and the public are blurred.”
On the lower level are translucent ombre curtains, designed in collaboration with a Parisian artist. Justin Morin and printed 4 places were installed as room dividers.
Custom tables from Milliøns adorn the lower portion of the library, while the studio restored other original furniture pieces by a variety of designers, including Eero Saarinen And Charles and Ray Eameswhich were indicated by Pei.
Milliøns also designed pastel-coloured tables for the small café on the top floor, which Knoll's director complemented with light purple Olivares chairs. Jonathan Olivares.
The back wall of the cafe, where customers place their orders, is decorated with a reflective chrome wall, while a chrome countertop in the same color divides the space.
The project also included updating the building's exterior: the team cleaned the façade “to reveal its pink hue,” restored the original paving, and lined the wall with geometric pink planters designed by Milliøns.
“In the end, much of the new work quietly announces itself, simultaneously receding into the background, materializing daylight and transforming the entire east wing, but with only minimal changes to Pei's original masterpiece,” the team said.
Milliøns is a Los Angeles-based architecture and design studio founded by John May and Zeina Koreit in 2012. The studio works across a variety of scales, including buildings, furniture, and books.
IM Pei projects are getting updates across North America, including tower in montreal And Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Photo taken Ivan Baan
Project loans:
Donor/collector: Louise Rosenfield, Dallas, Texas
President and CEO of the Everson Museum of Art: Elizabeth Dunbar
Curator of the Rosenfield Collection: Garth Johnson
Curtains: Collaboration with Justin Morin
Fabric and Printing: 4Spaces, Zurich
Cafe chairs: Knoll Olivares Chairs by Jonathan Olivares
Tables in a public cafe: Designed by Milløns (manufactured in Los Angeles, California)
Carts)
Furniture for scientific libraries and offices: Originals by Saarinen, Knoll, Breuer and Eames,
IM PEI specification – Milløns reupholstery and restoration
Reconfigurable library tables: Designed by Milløns (Made in Los Angeles
California carts)
Manufacturing of prismatic towers: Special display system FRANK, Germany
Construction of prismatic towers: Tripyramid structures
Manufacturing of metal structures for cafes: Cammetal Inc.
Lighting design: Derek Porter