Seattle Asian Art Museum Building Renovation, Washington Gallery Architecture Renewal

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building

SAM Refurbishment: Capitol Hill Building Development, Washington design by LMN Architects, USA

Feb 4 + 3, 2020

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building News

Design: LMN Architects

Address: Volunteer Park, 1400 E Prospect St, Seattle, WA 98112, United States of America

Photographs below by Tim Griffith

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

LMN Architects Celebrates the Reopening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum

Seattle, Washington – February 3, 2020 – LMN Architects is pleased to celebrate the reopening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum on February 8, 2020. Harmonizing with the 1933 Bebb and Gould designed Art Deco building, the renovation and expansion of the Asian Art Museum is concurrently composed to integrate into the Olmsted designed landscape of Volunteer Park.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

The design represents the first substantial renovation, addition, and the seamless integration of the building’s spectacular site with the museum’s mission for the 21st century: to showcase Asian art in conjunction with contemporary educational and conservation spaces.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

The museum will begin welcoming the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 am on Saturday, February 8. In evidence of public excitement for the reopening, all 10,000 free, timed tickets have been claimed for the weekend celebration. The museum’s regular hours will begin on February 12, including four new free days every month.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

“We could not be more excited to open the doors of the museum and welcome everyone back,” said Amada Cruz, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO of the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). “The new and refreshed galleries designed by LMN Architects will display art from the collection that has never been on view before, and the resonant themes of the installation will provoke delight and curiosity alike.

The new connections to and views of Volunteer Park are stunning. We are grateful to the city of Seattle and the staff and supporters of SAM, as well as SAM’s retired director, Kimerly Rorschach, whose extraordinary dedication brought this project to fruition.”

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

Sam Miller, Partner-in-Charge, comments: “The design developed by LMN Architects took in consideration various technical needs, including mechanical and electrical systems, accessibility, seismic improvements, and all other needs for a contemporary art environment. These program requirements, as well as new areas for visitors, additional space for special exhibitions, and offices for staff were important considerations in the final design.”

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

A set of steps lead to the Art Deco lobby entrance on the west side of the building. Once inside, the Entry Lobby connects to the Fuller Garden Court and unfolds into the new Park Lobby. All three spaces create a new circulation spine joining the building with the park, and the park with the building.

The renovation and addition reaffirms the original character of the Fuller Garden Court as the central hub of the museum which not only provides access to the gallery spaces, but also establishes a sense of expectation that is reinforced by the two new portals that open to the Park Lobby. The new lobby is the vertical connector to new program spaces and is composed mostly of glass, giving the impression that the space is floating in the landscape.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

Wendy Pautz, Design Partner, comments: “The existing building is a local treasure for the city. Our main goal was to restore the building back to its original splendor, but with changes that allow the museum to be successful in the future and meet conservation and curatorial goals within the existing fabric of the original building.

Another important goal was to have the museum more connected to the community and be more open and expressive of what is happening inside. Now, everyone in the park can get a sense of what is happening within and the contemporary addition creates new opportunities for serendipitous social interactions inside the museum.”

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building design by LMN Architects

The circulation interconnects each volume, ultimately connecting everything to the park and the original elements. The Entrance Level encompasses all lobbies, existing gallery spaces, and an all-new 2,658 sq. ft. gallery which adds significant additional space for the museum. The Ground Level and Basement Level have a similar building program composed of ancillary spaces, art storage, meeting spaces, and offices. The Ground Level also contains a library, conservation studio, 201-seat auditorium, and a community education space.

Photos below by Adam Hunter:

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

Pamela Trevithick, Principal, comments: “The idea that the original building had daylight incorporated was an important catalyst for some of our design decisions. Since the original building was about connecting with the exterior, we approached the interior design focused on connecting with the outside environment. Our approach to the space, the experience, materiality and texture, and the attitude to daylight allow for a unified experience with subtle interventions between the existing building and the new addition.”

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

The renovation provides daylight to the octagonal galleries with light boxes built into the ceiling that emulate natural daylight while providing the museum with a modern lighting system. This artificial lighting allows the museum to set the stage for new art, better preserve their collection, and provide newfound flexibility for future displays.

Wendy Pautz, Design Partner, comments: “The experience of the building brings the art deco structure back to its origins, but enhanced with new surprises and the three-story addition we designed. The new modern gallery and Park Lobby are built around the trees and create a new experience with the park elements. We worked to open the building to the park, so as you circulate through the addition the architecture creates a stronger connection with the nature around the site and shows the activity that is happening within the museum.”

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

The building components and the interior spaces have been renovated and organized to maximize program space and functionality as well as take advantage of their own tectonic identity. In addition to the façade restoration work, major upgrades were completed to the walls, floors, and ceiling elements in the existing galleries to modernize the space to be structurally sound and meet code requirements.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

Sam Miller, Partner-in-Charge, comments: “To work on a historic building like this is a real privilege and honor. It is part of the legacy of Seattle and we hope everyone sees we treated the existing building with care and respect, and enhanced the facility with the addition to make it so that viewing art is better than it has ever been. The focus of our work at LMN Architects is about making great social experiences, but it is primarily about connecting to community. We hope the addition adds significance to the original historic building, and we are very excited for everyone to visit the museum and experience the renovation and addition for themselves.”

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

The Seattle Asian Art Museum honors and preserves the architectural legacy of the historic building and integrity of the Park while providing space for deeper explorations of the diverse, artistic, and cultural traditions of Asia. The new addition of a dedicated community education space provides visitors enjoyment and access to public programming and community events.

The new expanded and renovated gallery space enables the museum to showcase more of its permanent collection and organize special exhibitions offering broader perspectives on Asia’s traditions and contemporary issues. Reflecting a complex organization of requirements, the museum integrates nature, architecture, history, and art in a poetic and intimate scale.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

LMN Architects is a leader in the design of civic and cultural projects across the United States. The firm has designed a number of important projects in Seattle, including Benaroya Hall, McCaw Hall, the Washington State Convention Center Addition, the Museum of History & Industry, and are currently designing the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion to be located on the waterfront.

Seattle Asian Art Museum Building interior Washington USA

Seattle Asian Art Museum – Building Information

Project Title:
Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Location:
1400 E. Prospect Street
Seattle, Washington 98112.

Client:
Seattle Art Museum.

Design Years:
2008 – 2017.

Construction Years:
2017 – 2020.

Major Building Materials:
Sandstone, Precast, Lime Based Plaster, Glass, Concrete and Structural Steel.

Program:
Museum featuring one of the nation’s most important collections of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian and South Asian works with 1 large special exhibition gallery, 14 medium-sized galleries, education space, conservation studio, library, 201-seat auditorium, 2 meeting rooms, facility and administrative offices.

Volunteer Park Site Area:
1,960,200 SFT (182,108.53 s.m.).

Original Galleries:
12,924 SFT (1,200 s.m.).

New Gallery:
2,658 SFT (246 s.m.).

Fuller Garden Court:
2,186 SFT (203 s.m.).

Park Lobby:
1,247 SFT (115 s.m.).

Total Gross Floor Area:
64,250 SFT (5,969 s.m.).

Building Height:
48’-8” (15 m.).

Number of floors:
3.

Building Photography:
Adam Hunter/LMN Architects.
Tim Griffith.

New Building in Washington USA

Seattle Asian Art Museum Renewal – Project Credits

Architect:
LMN Architects
801 Second Avenue, Suite 501
Seattle, Washington 98104

Project Team:
Yomi Adeyemi, Associate AIA
Robert Ames
Aaron Argyle, Associate AIA
Henry Butitta
Michael Day
Tiffani Erdmanczyk
Anya Fiechtl, AIA
Mette Greenshields, AIA
Joanne Koola
Mark Lo
Samuel Miller, FAIA
Lori Naig, IIDA
Lauren Patnoe
Wendy Pautz, FAIA
Christopher Patterson, AIA
Francene Ray
Ayako Sakurai, IIDA
Jeremy Schoenfeld, AIA
Kathy Stallings, AIA
Jennifer Tamblin
Megan Taylor
Pamela Trevithick, AIA
Paulina Wilkowska
John Woloszyn, AIA

Civil Engineer:
Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Inc.

Commissioning:
Glumac

General Contractor:
BNBuilders, Inc.

Landscape Architect:
Walker Macy

Lighting Design:
Fisher Marantz Stone

Mechanical Engineer:
Rushing Company

Electrical Engineer:
Stantec

Envelope Consultant:
RDH Building Science, Inc.

Historic Preservation Consultant:
BOLA Architecture and Planning

Owner’s Representative:
OAC Services, Inc.

Structural Engineer:
Magnusson Klemencic Associates

New Building interior Washington USA

Asian Art Museum in Seattle Building Expansion images / information received from LMN Architects, 030220

LMN Architects on e-architect

Previously on e-architect:

Asian Art Museum in Seattle Building Expansion

Oct 4, 2016

Asian Art Museum in Seattle Building Expansion

Design: LMN Architects

Museum in Seattle, Washington, northwest USA

LMN Architects debut plans for Seattle’s Asian Art Museum expansion and renovation

New Building in Washington, USA

Design renderings courtesy of LMN Architects

Washington architecture design by LMN Architects

Washington building design by LMN Architects

New Washington building design by LMN Architects

New Washington architecture design by LMN Architects

Asian Art Museum in Seattle Building

Location: Volunteer Park, 1400 E Prospect St, Seattle, WA 98112, United States

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Website: Asian Art Museum in Seattle