david adjaye reveals design for princeton university art museum

david adjaye has presented his firm’s design for a new art museum for princeton university in new jersey. the venue, to be sited at the heart of the school’s campus, will replace and roughly double the size of the university’s existing facility. the design employs a mix of traditional materials — including stone, bronze, and glass — that references the campus history, while looking towards its future. construction is set to begin in 2021 with an anticipated opening scheduled for late 2024.

all images © adjaye associates

the building will stand as a hub and gathering space for princeton students, as well as the wider community, by making the visual arts an essential part of university life. ‘the reconstruction of the princeton university art museum is conceived as a campus within the campus,’ explains david adjaye, who leads adjaye associates. ‘a space of genuine inquiry where the exhibition of diverse practices, learning as a synthesis of knowledge and cross-cultural connections weave together into a singular experience that encompasses a multiplicity of ideas and peoples.’

externally, the building is characterized by alternating rough and polished stone surfaces inspired by the rich history of the surrounding environment. importantly, the new facility will welcome visitors from all directions with no primary entrance. internally, the three story structure will feature seven interlocked pavilions containing many of the new galleries. these exhibition spaces are interspersed with more intimate areas that break down the scale of the new building.

the museum’s collections will be exhibited substantially on the second level, while elements of visible storage will feature significantly throughout. numerous bronze and glass ‘lenses’ are positioned between the pavilions to break up the scale of the complex and to shape framed views of the museum and the surrounding campus. the design includes outdoor terraces, with space for performances and events that can accommodate 200 to 2,000 users. other facilities include a grand hall, numerous classrooms, two ‘creativity labs’, and a rooftop café.

importantly, the project maintains the key pedestrian pathways that flow into and through the museum via two ‘art walks’ — thoroughfares that function as the new building’s circulatory spine. cementing this relationship with the campus, the ground level has been designed to allow glimpses into the galleries above. adjaye associates was selected as the project architect in september 2018, in collaboration with cooper robertson as executive architect. construction is expected to start in 2021.

project info:

name: princeton university art museum
location: princeton, NJ
client: princeton university
project architect: adjaye associates
executive architect: cooper robertson
status: construction to begin in 2021, anticipated opening scheduled for late 2024