PUAM replaces the former home of the museum, the fine arts library, and the department of arts and archaeology, which, since 1989, had been crammed into a confused, century-spanning amalgam of five buildings, each realized in its own architectural style. When Adjaye Associates and Cooper Robertson were hired in 2018, beating out Michael Maltzan Architecture, Johnston Marklee, and Snøhetta, among others, for the job, the team’s mandate was clear: modernize the facility, increase space for the display of art, and solve what Steward refers to as the “upstairs/downstairs problem”—the perceived value of a work based on its placement within a museum. This meant doubling the building’s size to 146,000 square feet.

Scale, in a historic part of campus dotted by quaint Collegiate Gothic edifices, became the primary challenge. Adjaye proposed breaking up the mammoth mass required to fit the program into nine pavilions—each sized to echo neighboring buildings—which would be stitched together and connected. In its final configuration, seven form galleries, an eighth houses conservation studios, and the ninth (a partially reused and reclad 1960s structure) is the fine arts library. Some are firmly planted on the ground; others daringly cantilever. “The strategy also gave each department its own front door,” Erin Flynn, partner in charge at Cooper Robertson, points out.

For an exclusive first look at Princeton University Art Museum, visit Architectural Record for the full review.