• Whitney Museum of American

    Art Downtown Expansion

    Manhattan, New York, New York

    The Whitney's new building next to the Highline in Manhattan's meat-packing district has a tapered shape and a series of terraces in keeping with the scale and industrial vocabulary of the area. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with Cooper, Robertson as executive architect, the building will house double-height galleries, educational facilities, and a 200-seat theatre. The basement level houses mechanical equipment, art handling spaces, and art storage. Significant study was done to minimize the amount of space needed underground for mechanical equipment. As per Local Law 86, the new building must achieve a LEED Silver rating or better and must use 25% less energy than even the state mechanical code mandates. The Whitney's Board approved the design with groundbreaking set for 2011. Read the Art Daily magazine article about the project.

    Client: Whitney Museum of American Art
    Size: 185,000 gross square feet
    Completion: 2014
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