The Princeton University Art Museum is gaining a new building designed by Sir David Adjaye. His firm, Adjaye Associates, recently revealed the design, which will replace the existing museum and double its size.
 
Adjaye’s proposed three-story structure will employ stone, bronze, and glass, throughout seven galleries and a series of outdoor terraces accommodating up to 2,000 visitors. On the ground level, a double-height “Grand Hall” atrium will function as a lecture and performance space, while the second level will house the entirety of the university’s art collections. The expanded facility will also hold classrooms and a rooftop café for students and faculty.

“The reconstruction of the Princeton University Art Museum is conceived as a campus within the campus,” said Adjaye in a statement, “a space of genuine inquiry where the exhibition of diverse practices, learning as a synthesis of knowledge and cross-cultural connections weave together into a singular experience that encompasses a multiplicity of ideas and peoples.”
 
Adjaye Associates was selected in 2018 alongside New York based firm Cooper Robertson as executive architect. Construction is expected to begin in 2021 with an opening slated for 2024.

Adjaye will be a keynote speaker at RECORD’s 2020 Innovation Conference, taking place virtually on October 27–28.

The double-height "Grand Hall" sits at the heart of the museum complex and will function as a lecture hall and performance space. Image © Adjaye Associates