Rick Mather Architects were selected from an international field of competitors in 2001 to plan and design a major expansion and renovation of the 65-year old museum. This marks the first major U.S. commission for the practice. For the VMFA project Rick Mather has incorporated with the Richmond-based firm SMBW to form Rick Mather + SMBW.
MIPIM Future Project Award
The project has already been recognised with a MIPIM/Architectural Review Future Project Award in the urban communities and sustainability's in 2004.
Since opening in 1936 the VMFA site has expanded greatly. However, it is only since the Museum acquired land surrounding its main headquarters in the early 1990s, that an holistic approach to the site's design has been possible. A particular challenge was to return the Museum's main entrance to the Boulevard, one of Richmond's main thoroughfares, and to eliminate the rear entrance from the parking lot that has existed since the 1970s.
The approach opens the main VMFA building up to the
City of Richmond and provides extensive new space for the Museum's art
collections. The VMFA expansion plan envisions adding more than 100,000
square feet to the existing 240,000-square-foot building. It creates a
five-level glass and limestone entrance wing which will house new galleries
for permanent and temporary exhibitions, a library, café, restaurant and
offices. The new wing will be linked to the existing building across a
central Atrium that, like a main street, opens onto new and existing spaces
on three levels. Across the Atrium six glass-sided bridges will connect
new and renovated upper-level galleries.
The VMFA's purpose to the city will be announced by a 40 foot high window facing the Boulevard and displaying pieces from the Museum's collection. From inside there will be views eastward towards the downtown area which will be visible for the first time from the Museum site and a new Entrance Plaza will provide the city with an invitation to enter.
For the first time the full 13.5 acres of the VMFA will be united as one campus. The existing parking lot to the rear of the building will be transformed into a 3.5 acre sculpture garden that covers the new three level parking facility with a terraced landscaped roof. The VMFA will break ground in 2005 with the opening slated for 2008.
The Five Levels of the building in detail
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