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Architects: Thomas Phifer and Partners
- Area: 100000 ft²
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:Iwan Baan
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Manufacturers: Owens Corning, Saflex, Eastman, Linel, Rochester Insulated Glass
Text description provided by the architects. The Corning Museum of Glass North Wing Expansion provides 100,000 square feet of new space, including spacious light-filled galleries for its collection of contemporary works in glass, as well as one of the world’s largest facilities for glassblowing demonstrations and live glass design sessions.
The new gallery building—which will be the largest space anywhere dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art in glass—features skylighting with a sophisticated light-filtering system that is integrated with the structural roof beams. Inside, the works of art will be displayed largely independent of the curvilinear plaster walls, encouraging circulation and allowing contemplation of larger works in glass. The gallery experience is punctuated by a 150 foot long window that provides views to the campus green and reorients the visitor to the larger landscape.
The clean white glass façade of the new contemporary gallery building is juxtaposed with the black exterior of the restored ventilator building. The project features outdoor gathering areas for the public, including a one-acre campus green that will provide views into the luminous new gallery and glassmaking spaces. The new campus green is bordered by the 1951 Harrison & Abramowitz Corning Office building, the 2001 Smith-Miller Hawkinson façade, and new North Wing Expansion.
The design includes an innovative renovation of the iconic ventilator building of the former Steuben Glass factory adjacent to the museum’s current building. The renovation provides seating for 500 people, offering 360-degree views of glassmaking in a new state-of-the-art glass studio.
