CHAPTER 02
CASE STuDIES
MuSEuM oF MoDERN ART NEW YoRk, uSA
Client: Location: Architect in Charge: Previous Architects: Area: Project Year: Brand Design: Brand Year: 13
Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019, United States Yoshio Taniguchi Cesar Pelli and Associates, Philip Johnson, Philip Goodwin, Edward Durell Stone. 630,000 sqf 2004 Pentagram, In-house Design Team. 2009
The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan opened its doors in 1929. It was designed by the architects Philip Goodwin and Edward Durrell Stone. The project witnessed several expansions and additions starting with the sculpture garden in 1953 and then the addition in 1964 by Philip Johnson. In 1984, Cesar Pelli & Associates designed the west expansion. In 2004, the museum had the most recent expansion by Yoshio Taniguchi. The brand of MoMA went through a number of developments. The MoMA brand in its current form was first introduced by Pentagram in 2009. Due to the extensive use of the brand, the museum developed its own graphic design department, named as the In-house Design Team, to produce the graphic works for the numerous events and exhibitions based on the identity developed by Pentagram. MOMA ARCHITECTURE: The recent architectural extension worked as a mediator between the chaotic context of the city and the environment needed to explore the art. It connects the 53rd street and the 54th street through the main lobby of the museum. The new façade extends along the 54th street to contain the sculpture garden and to connect with all MoMA buildings. Taniguchi introduced a new aesthetic to the museum that implies purity and modernity, and contrasts with the richness of the
context. The new design featured highly polished materials and sleek design. The polished black marble reflects the image of the city, and contrasts with the matt finished aluminum surface above the entrance. The designer wanted to emphasize that concept through the precision in details. Several advanced construction techniques were applied to obtain that result. The Archdaily wrote in its review of the project: “Taniguchi achieved the refined, minimal aesthetic by exacting precision in each detail. The panels on the exterior facades were installed with the least possible tolerance, diminishing the seams to create an apparently continuous surface. Vast panes of glass hang beneath the deep porticoes bounding the Sculpture Garden. To ensure the glass would not deflect as the museum filled with visitors, the curtain walls were freed from the floor structure. Steel mullions were chosen over the standard aluminum to allow a thinner profile of sufficient strength.”1 The designer’s sketch explained some of the concepts introduced to respond to the context. The horizontal form of the new extension opposes the verticality of the city skyline. The clear and glossy surfaces of the exterior give a seamless expression of the surfaces. The 14. 1
The Museum of Modern Art, http://www.archdaily.com.
The Museum of Modern Art, the 53rd street entrance. The latest addition by Yoshio Taniguchi’s in 2004.
