Art of understatement

Architectural Review, The, August, 1995 by Annette Le Cuyer

A finely honed extension to a gallery in the American Midwest revitalises the original building, not only as a place for displaying art, but also as an important civic amenity.

The extension to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, designed by Sir Norman Foster and Partners, epitomises the fine art of British understatement. Opened in November 1994, the extension provides new galleries and support facilities for the museum and succeeds in enhancing the existing building without overpowering it.

The Joslyn Museum is located on Dodge Street, the main east-west thoroughfare of the city. Completed in 1931, the original building is a hybrid of Beaux Arts plan and Prairie-Egyptian Art Deco detailing inspired by Bertram Goodhue. Designed as a concert hall with a fountain-court foyer and adjoining art galleries, the multi-use building has historically been a social centre for the citizens of Omaha, hosting not only theatrical and musical events, but also banquets, bar mitzvahs, wedding receptions, and celebrations of all kinds. Unlike many museums, it has therefore enjoyed the support of a broad constituency in the community. However by the 1980s additional gallery space and storage for the growing permanent collection were badly needed, together with a secure delivery bay, workshops for the preparation of exhibitions, and improved catering and shop facilities. In addition, the entrance portico had become redundant, with nearly everyone entering the building directly from the car park to the north.

A brief for expansion was prepared, funding was secured and submissions were invited from 50 architects. James Freed, Antoine Predock, Christian de Portzamparc, Renzo Piano and Sir Norman Foster were shortlisted for interview by the museum board. Prior to the interview, the Foster practice invested a great deal of time in understanding the problems and needs of the museum and, although none was requested, they took the risk of preparing a scheme to present at the interview. The investment paid off and Sir Norman Foster and Partners were appointed in June 1992.

Located to the north of the museum in the area formerly occupied by a car park, the 58 000 sq ft extension is a simple rectangular pavilion clad with the same marble as the original building and linked to it by a glazed slot. Like the existing building, the new galleries are raised on a piano nobile, with all support spaces such as loading bays, storage, workshops and offices tucked under the podium at ground level. The extension is the height of the flanking wings of the original building, allowing the portico of the old museum to remain the dominant element of the composition. The street along the east entrance facade of the original building, which had been closed for a number of years, has been reinstated and parking relocated. The museum now has two entrances, the original grand portico at piano nobile level and an understated ground level entrance into the glazed link. Placing the new entrance on the same facade as the old and organising vehicular circulation and parking to serve both has brought the portico back into regular use.

While similar in massing and cladding to the original building, the extension differs significantly in detail. The podium is an in-situ concrete frame and flat slab with steel-framed galleries above, and the stone cladding is a veneer on precast concrete panels. In contrast to the monolithic character of the original museum, the stack bonding and dark coloured mastic of the extension clearly articulate both a primary grid of panel joints and a secondary grid of finer stone joints. Vertical panels with mitred joints mark the corners of the building, and the moulded string course and coping of the original building are reinterpreted on the extension as flush details defined by reveals.

The atrium, a long, tall space between stone facades, provides the most delicate of connections between museum and extension and is the focal point for the circulation of both buildings. The new entrance at the east end is a single height transitional space under a bridge which links the existing and new galleries on the cross axis of the original fountain court. Although neutral externally, the emphasis within the atrium is shifted toward the extension. A giant portal cut out of the atrium facade of the new building directs visitors to a grand stair leading directly up to the new galleries and to the bridge connecting back to the existing galleries and fountain court. The restaurant occupies the west end of the atrium and the entire space is used for staging informal concerts, receptions, and large banquets.

The atrium is enclosed by clear, low-emissivity double glazing with no fritting or shading devices. Radiant heating or cooling is provided just below the glass at roof level and on the vertical faces via slotted holes in the aluminium framing of the glazing system. Notwithstanding Nebraska's boiling summers and arctic winters, there have been no apparent difficulties with either solar gain or condensation. The atrium also acts as a buffer to the northern side of the existing museum which had previously been notoriously difficult to heat.