The Whitney Museum of American Art was recently featured in the “Design Innovation Report” by Building Design + Construction. The article explores the topic of “Activating Exteriors as Gallery Space.”

“There was a strong desire to expand the notion of what the gallery might be,” says Scott Newman, FAIA, Partner at Cooper Robertson.

“Newman says it was imperative to integrate the exteriors as gallery space into the façade early in the design process ‘so it didn’t look like an afterthought.’ He notes, too, that what distinguishes the Whitney from other museums is that its exterior galleries were designed to be flexible enough to house curated exhibits that change over time. That meant taking into account exterior structural loads, lighting, and audio-visual capabilities.”

Cooper Robertson recently published a white paper, “Exterior as Gallery,” which details the design and engineering complexities behind the deployment of 13,000 sf of outdoor space and terraces to attract new audiences.