Rick Mather Architects has been appointed to design a £130 million extension of the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, USA.

The 16,000sq m extension is being built as part of a £420 million investment programme which will provide an extra 7,000sq m of gallery space, a restaurant and a roof garden. Education, storage, exhibition and conservation facilities will also be improved.

The museum said Mather was chosen from a shortlist of international architects because of "the firm's keen sensitivity to urban context, ability to unite contemporary design with existing structures, and success in integrating art and architecture".

Mather will build on the 1977 Dodge Wing and a 2003 Moshe Safdie-designed extension. The design will also highlight Yin Yu Tang, the museum's unique Qing dynasty Chinese house, and East India Marine Hall, a national historic landmark.

Mather has a long history of working in the cultural sector. Most recently his practice completed a £5 million extension to the Ashmolean Egypt Galleries in Oxford.

The Peabody Essex Museum was founded in 1799 and exhibits art and cultural artefacts from around the world.