Studio Gang Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History Location New York, NY Status Under Construction Client American Museum of Natural History Type Cultural, Educational Size 190,000 sf Sustainability Targeting LEED Gold Tags FlowMaterialityVoids The latest addition to New York’s historic American Museum of Natural History, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will embody the Museum’s integrated mission of science education and exhibition. At a time of urgent need for better public understanding of science and greater access to science education, the Gilder Center will offer new ways to learn about our world and share in the excitement of scientific discovery. The design for the Gilder Center reclaims the physical heart of the museum and completes connections between existing galleries that were originally envisioned in the museum’s campus master plan. Visitor circulation is enhanced to better accommodate the museum’s rising annual attendance, which over the past several decades has grown from approximately 3 to 5 million. Informed by processes found in nature, the Central Exhibition Hall, which will serve as the Museum’s new Columbus Avenue entrance, will form a continuous, flowing spatial experience along an east-west axis. The design will encourage visitors to move beneath and across connective bridges and along sculpted walls with openings that reveal the Museum’s many programs. Niche spaces tucked within this central space will house exhibition elements designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates and exciting new learning spaces, while also revealing more of the Museum’s extensive scientific collections. The public will be able to engage with innovative tools used by scientists to gain a deeper understanding of our world and how science is conducted today. 01 / 02 A site model of the proposed renovation illustrates how the building will be inserted into the existing Museum campus (shown here in the lower center) “We uncovered a way to vastly improve visitor circulation and museum functionality, while tapping into the desire for exploration and discovery that is so emblematic of science and also such a big part of being human. Upon entering the space, natural daylight from above and sight lines to various activities inside invite movement through the Central Exhibition Hall on a journey toward deeper understanding. The architectural design grew out of the museum’s mission.” —Jeanne Gang The Gilder Center will create the Museum's first universally accessible entrance at street level. Creating approximately thirty connections among ten different buildings, the Gilder Center will include the five-story Collections Core, housing millions of specimens and artifacts from the Museum's collection; the Insectarium, the first Museum gallery specifically dedicated to insects in more than 50 years; the Butterfly Vivarium, a year-round exhibit that doubles the space of the existing seasonal butterfly conservatory; and the Invisible Worlds Immersive Theater, showcasing cutting-edge scientific technologies. Aerial photograph of the existing Museum campus. Image © Jeffrey Milstein The building's caverns, bridges, and arching walls will be formed using an industrial application of concrete that showcases its liquid properties. This technique, primarily used for infrastructure, creates a continuous interior without material seams or joints that becomes structural as it cures. The interior of this exciting space will demonstrate the structural principles subject to gravity without the traditional waste of formwork. Consultant Team Zubatkin Owner Representative, LLC, owner representative Davis Brody Bond, executive architect Ralph Appelbaum Associates, exhibition design Arup, structural engineer, acoustical and audio visual consultants Buro Happold, MEP/FP/façade consultant Reed Hilderbrand, landscape architect design Pentagram, signage design Tamschick Media + Space with Boris Micka Associates, theater design Atelier Ten, sustainability Renfro Design Group, lighting AECOM Tishman, construction manager Awards Jury Award, Unbuilt - Cultural, Architizer A+ Awards, 2020 High Commendation, AR Future Projects Awards, MIPIM/The Architectural Review, 2020 Winner, 67th Annual Progressive Architecture Awards, Architect Magazine, 2020 Winner, Archello, Best Projects of 2020 Honorable Mention, The Architect's Newspaper Best of Design Awards, Unbuilt – Cultural Category, 2019 Finalist, Future Projects - Culture Category, World Architecture Festival, 2019 Related Now Studio Gang Wins Four 2020 Architizer A+ Awards Three projects designed by Studio Gang have won four 2020 Architizer A+ Awards, which recognize the best architecture, spaces, and products from across the globe. Now Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation Wins 2020 Progressive Architecture Award Studio Gang's Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History was selected as a winner in the 67th Annual Progressive Architecture Awards, recognizing how the project uses design to draw connections between individual users and the communities around it. Now New York Times — “American Museum of Natural History Releases Design of Gilder Center” New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman spotlights the Studio’s Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History. Now Architectural Record — "American Museum of Natural History in New York Breaks Ground on Jeanne Gang–Designed Building" "With many large openings offering glimpses of the various exhibition spaces, the new building’s light-filled and airy central hall will emphasize the connectedness of scientific disciplines while sparking curiosity in visitors." Read more Now Architect’s Newspaper — “Jeanne Gang Unveils New Interiors for the American Museum of Natural History” “Architect Jeanne Gang of Chicago-based Studio Gang and exhibition designer Ralph Appelbaum unveiled their latest designs for the new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation.” Publication Studio Gang: Architecture 2021 TerrestrialMaterialityBeyond TransparentRhythmFlowUp In The Canopy Studio Gang Contact Instagram Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Chicago 1520 W Division Street Chicago, IL 60642 +1 773 384 1212 New York 50 Broad Street Suite 1003 New York, NY 10004 +1 212 579 1514 San Francisco 300 Beale St Suite 101 San Francisco, CA 94105 +1 415 800 0717 Paris 2 Rue de la Roquette 75011 Paris, France +33 (0) 1 85 64 15 98