Safdie Architects is set to double the size of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas with a design that includes two new galleries connected by a bridge.
The architecture firm, which has its headquarters in Boston, will return to build an extension for the museum that it designed a decade ago.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is in Arkansas
Construction will commence in early 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2024. In May of this year, a reconfigured courtyard and main lobby will be completed as forerunners to the expansion.
"We are going to cover the courtyard with a glass dome, integrating the whole entrance experience," said practice founder and AIA Gold Medal-winner Moshe Safdie.
Safdie Architects will lead the expansion Nestled amongst 120 sloping acres of lush trees in Bentonville, Arkansas, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a free art museum.
Named after nearby spring-fed ponds and a series of bridges incorporated into its existing design, the museum is a collection of pavilions and a large glass-enclosed hall.
A light-filled bridge will connect two new galleries
Currently spanning 200,000 square feet (18,581 square metres), Safdie Architects will add an additional 100,000 square feet (9,290 square metres) of facilities to the museum, increasing its size by 50 per cent.
The overarching goal of the expansion is to continue to integrate the museum with its setting and enhance community involvement in the museum's art activitie...