Five major firms have been shortlisted for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery's $80 million expansion in Buffalo, New York. Chosen for their "design intellect" and ability to collaborate, the competing firms will envision ways to expand the gallery's exhibition space and create a new public urban area that maximizes the site's potential, as the Albright-Knox campus is located on the edge of Delaware Park - one of Frederick Law Olmsted?s major works.

© Flickr CC User Nick Stanley

Five major firms have been shortlisted for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery's $80 million expansion in Buffalo, New York. Chosen for their "design intellect" and ability to collaborate, the competing firms will envision ways to expand the gallery's exhibition space and create a new public urban area that maximizes the site's potential, as the Albright-Knox campus is located on the edge of Delaware Park - one of Frederick Law Olmsted?s major works.?The selection of the architects reflects that malleability, because none of them has a fingerprint style,? Albright-Knox director Janne Sirén said. ?All of them, almost, specialize in an ability to build for a given context.?The five practices include: Snøhetta Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) OMA wHY Allied Works Architecture ?There are only two reasons why a person in Paris or in London will get on an airplane and fly to Buffalo,? Sirén said. ?They will come to see the Albright-Knox and its collection, and the architectural...