Architectural Record
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Architectural Record
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Awards
    • Interviews
    • Obituaries
    • Podcasts
      • Design:Ed Podcast
      • Sponsored Podcasts
  • OPINION
    • Book Reviews / Excerpts
    • Exhibition Reviews
    • Forum
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Videos
    • Design Vanguard
    • Top 300 Firms
    • Sponsored Content
    • Sponsored eBooks
    • From the Archives
  • CONTINUING ED
    • Editorial Continuing Ed
    • CE Center
    • CE Academies
  • PROJECTS
    • Buildings By Type
    • Reuse & Renovation
    • Museums & Arts Centers
    • Colleges & Universities
    • Multifamily Housing
    • Interiors
    • Lighting
    • Kitchen & Bath
  • HOUSES
    • Record Houses
    • House of the Month
    • Featured Houses
  • PRODUCTS
    • Products by Category
    • Record Products of the Year
    • Latest Products
  • EVENTS
    • Dates & Events
    • Record on the Road
    • Innovation Conference
    • Sustainability in Practice
    • Women In Architecture
    • Webinars
    • Ad Excellence Awards
    • Submit an Event
  • CONNECT
    • Ask RECORD AI
    • Newsletters
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Store
    • Customer Service
  • SUBMIT
    • Submission Guidelines
    • RECORD Competitions
  • MAGAZINE
    • Subscribe
    • My Account
    • Digital Edition
    • Current Issue
    • Firm Pass
    • Historic Archive
Architecture News

Sneak Peek of Thomas Phifer’s Glenstone Expansion

By Deane Madsen
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

The Pavilions at Glenstone, by Thomas Phifer and Partners

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

The Pavilions at Glenstone, by Thomas Phifer and Partners

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

The Pavilions at Glenstone, by Thomas Phifer and Partners

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Glenstone Museum, by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Louise Bourgeios's "Cells" series includes intimate rooms constructed of found objects.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Louise Bourgeois. Cell (Choisy), 1990-1993. © The Easton Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York. Collection: Glenstone Museum.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Louise Bourgeois. The Destruction of the Father, 1974. © The Easton Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York. Collection: Glenstone Museum.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

A selection of mixed media works hangs in galleries of Glenstone's original Gwathmey Siegel building.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Richard Serra. Sylvester, 2001. © 2013 Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Collection: Glenstone Museum.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Andy Goldsworthy. Clay Houses (Boulder), 2007. © Andy Goldsworthy. Collection: Glenstone Museum.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion

Tony Smith. Smug, 1973/2005. © The Estate of Tony Smith/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Collection: Glenstone Museum.

Photo by Deane Madsen, © Architectural Record

Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
Thomas Phifer Glenstone Expansion
May 21, 2018

Architects & Firms

PWP Landscape Architecture
Thomas Phifer and Partners

The Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Md., was abuzz with activity during a recent press preview for its latest exhibition, “Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment,” which opened May 10, not least because visitors were also offered a brief walkthrough of the museum’s significant expansion, which is set to open October 4.

Glenstone may be one of the greater Washington area’s best-kept secrets, but expect that to change this fall. The museum opened the doors of its original 30,000-square-foot museum, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, in 2006. Since then, Glenstone has grown its undulating landscape, swelling from 100 acres to 230 acres and becoming a pastoral backdrop for large-scale outdoor sculptures from artists that include Richard Serra, Ellsworth Kelly, Jeff Koons, and Janet Cardiff with George Bures Miller.

The museum has also outgrown the 9,000 square feet of gallery space of its Gwathmey Siegel–designed facilities, prompting a dramatic expansion at the hands of Thomas Phifer and Partners with PWP Landscape Architecture, which adds 50,000 square feet of gallery space—along with an arrival center, two cafés, and storage and administrative spaces that bring the total addition to 240,000 square feet—in a cluster of variable-sized concrete boxes dubbed “the Pavilions.”

Nestled into Glenstone’s landscape, these pavilions—eight of which are planned as single artist galleries—surround an open-air, 18,000-square-foot water court. Visitors will meander through the landscape, past Koon’s Split-Rocker (2000), standing sentry at the entrance, to a new arrival center, then across a bridge and through a stand of multispecies trees to the museum itself, which appears as an almost sculptural accumulation beyond; Phifer has called the expansion “a village of buildings.” Concrete blocks measuring 1-by-1-by-6 feet interlock to form the interior and exterior walls of each pavilion, while vertical glazing lines the circulation path looking into the central water court. Speaking with RECORD editor in chief Cathleen McGuigan last summer, Phifer said, “We wanted to create an atmosphere where you kind of leave the world behind.”

Until October, visitors can immerse themselves in the landscape and outdoor sculpture within it, and content themselves with the new Bourgeois exhibition, which also features architectural elements: Several of her “Cells”—mixed-media assemblages that form intimate rooms—are on display, as are many of her skyscraper-inspired totems and prints in a collection that spans six decades of her career. Glenstone co-founder and director Emily Wei Rales described these rooms as self-portraits and embodiments of mood; one, Cell (Choisy) (1990-1993), is a paneled cage surrounding a flesh-colored marble house, outfitted with a guillotine.

Looking for quick answers on architecture and design topics?
Try Ask RECORD, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask RECORD →

KEYWORDS: Maryland Washington D.C.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Deane Madsen is a Washington, D.C.–based writer and photographer specializing in architecture.

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Subscription Center
  • Create an Account
  • Start a Subscription
  • Manage My Account
  • Sign Up for Newsletters
  • Visit Customer Service
  • Update Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Architectural Record audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Architectural Record or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • cold storage facility
    Sponsored byCarlisle SynTec Systems

    How Architects Can Design More Continuous Cold Storage Envelopes

  • TAMLYN XtremeTrim Exterior Trim
    Sponsored byTamlyn

    Designing Cleaner Panel Facades: Why Exterior Trim Details Matter

  • Building with Vapor Barriers
    Sponsored byReef Industries, Inc.

    Vapor Barriers Help Control Moisture in Tighter Building Designs

DESIGN:ED Podcast
Listen to Architectural Record’s DESIGN:ED Podcast

Events

June 30, 2026

Generator Selection and Sizing for Outage-Ready Homes

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU

Explore how propane-powered systems and whole-home generators can improve energy resilience, reduce electrical loads, and lower long-term residential costs.

July 1, 2026

Hospitality in Higher Education

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU

Explore how hospitality-driven campus design can strengthen belonging, wellbeing, and community connection in higher education environments.

View All Submit An Event

Products

2026 Architect's Square Foot Costbook

2026 Architect's Square Foot Costbook

See More Products

Popular Stories

Obama Presidential Center, Chicago

The Obama Presidential Center Opens on Chicago’s South Side

Spoonbill Ranch

Johnsen Schmaling Architects Integrates Spoonbill Ranch into a Pristine Landscape

Kìwekì Point, Ottawa, Canada

Perched High Above the Ottawa River, Kìwekì Point Showcases Sweeping Views of the Canadian Capital Region

Baileywick Park

An Elegant Pavilion by In Situ Studio Adds Sheltered Courts and a Gateway to a Public Park in Raleigh

Ayn Rand Center rendering

John Ronan Architects Designs Cultural and Education Hub for the Ayn Rand Institute in Austin

Generator Selection and Sizing for Outage-Ready Homes - Free Webinar - June 30, 2026

Related Articles

  • Four Seasons Auction

    Sneak Peek of the Four Seasons Auction

    See More
  • Sneak Peek of Christian de Portzamparc's ONE57 Skyscraper

    See More
  • On the Record: Back to the Land

    Interview with Thomas Phifer About Glenstone

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Architectural Record - November 2025

    Architectural Record November 2025 Issue

  • 1444336282.gif

    The Handbook of Interior Design

See More Products
×

The latest news and information

#1 Source for Architectural Design, News and Products

SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Submit
    • Store
  • ACCOUNT CENTER
    • Create an Account
    • Start a Subscription
    • Manage My Account
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Visit Customer Service
    • Update Preferences
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • Linkedin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media, Inc. and BNP Media II, LLC.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing