MoMA completes its diller scofidio + renfro-designed expansion in new york

designed by diller scofidio + renfro (DS+R) in collaboration with gensler, new york’s museum of modern art (MoMA) has completed the renovation and expansion of its midtown campus. the project, which has increased gallery space by 30 percent, seeks to provide visitors with a more welcoming and comfortable experience, while better connecting the museum to the urban fabric of manhattan. launched in 2014, the first phase of renovations was completed in 2017, with the overhauled campus re-opening to the public on october 21, 2019.

53rd street entrance canopy
image by brett beyer, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro (also main image)

the expansion allows MoMA to exhibit significantly more art in new and interdisciplinary ways. DS+R’s design, developed in collaboration with gensler, optimized the museum’s existing spaces to be more flexible and technologically sophisticated. as part of the renovation, the main lobby has been expanded to create a light-filled, double-height space that connects 53rd and 54th streets. in addition, a multitude of new circulation routes offer more areas for visitors to pause and reflect.

view of west connector from 53rd street
image by brett beyer, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

‘this work has required the curiosity of an archeologist and the skill of a surgeon,’ says elizabeth diller, co-founding partner of diller scofidio + renfro. ‘the improvements will make the visitor experience more intuitive and will relieve congestion, while a new circulation network will knit together the expansion spaces with the lobbies, the theaters, and the sculpture garden to create a contiguous, free public realm that bridges street to street and art to city.’

flagship museum store
image by brett beyer, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

from 53rd street, a new canopy welcomes visitors into a lobby capable of hosting art installations. this primary entrance is complemented by a second point of access in the east lobby, which features a dedicated film desk, as well as a reception and coat check for members. from here, visitors can access the ground level galleries — which are free and open the public — as well as the flagship museum store, which is located at cellar level. meanwhile, a dedicated street entrance enables shoppers to bypass museum patrons if desired.

interior view of the museum of modern art, retail stair
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

elsewhere, thanks to the redesigned circulation, the new western expansion of the museum will be dedicated almost entirely to the display of art. the existing galleries on the second, fourth, and fifth floors have been expanded westward through the new david geffen wing inside the 53W53 building designed by jean nouvel, adding approximately 11,500 square feet per floor. the 30 percent increase in gallery space includes the jerry speyer and katherine farley building, a stack of vertically interlocking galleries of varying heights, some naturally lit, some equipped for performance and film.

blade stair, level 3 landing
image by brett beyer, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

on the fourth and fifth floors, the marie-josée and henry kravis studio is a dedicated space for performance, process, and time-based art. here, performance, dance, music, and sound works connect to the stories of modern and contemporary art in the surrounding collection galleries through vestibule doors on the fourth floor, and an overlook window on the fifth floor flex gallery. on the sixth floor, a café serves as a location for refreshments and dining, as well as an opportunity for site-specific art on the museum’s highest floor. see here for designboom’s previous coverage of the scheme, and see the full development on DS+R’s dedicated project page here.

blade stair, view from level 6
image by brett beyer, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

interior view of the museum of modern art, blade stair
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

installation view of daylit gallery 212, sheela gowda’s of all people
overlooking projects gallery, featuring projects 110: michael armitage, the museum of modern art
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

installation view of david geffen wing gallery 206,
transfigurations, the museum of modern art with view of blackened steel portal
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

installation view of david geffen wing gallery 207, before and after tiananmen, the museum of modern art
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

installation view of the marie josée and henry kravis studio, the museum of modern art
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

exterior view of the museum of modern art, blade stair atrium, 53rd street
image by iwan baan, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

53rd street elevation
image by brett beyer, courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

animation detailing the expansion project
video courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

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project info:

location: museum of modern art, new york, united states
groundbreaking: february 2016
first phase complete: june 1, 2017
completed: 2019
opening: october 21, 2019

architect: diller scofidio + renfro in collaboration with gensler
DS+R project team —
partner-in-charge: elizabeth diller
partners: charles renfro, ricardo scofidio, and benjamin gilmartin
project directors: alberto cavallero, zoë small, kevin rice, and chris andreacola
project architects: andrea schelly and michael hundsnurscher
lead designers: chris kupski, daniel markiewicz, jess austin, and mario bastianelli
team: lilian fitch, david mayner, jonathan parker, sean rowe, heng-choong leong, charles blanchard, fareez giga, sanny ng, derrick benson, ben johnson, roy peer, jason buccheit, chris hall, amber foo, jack solomon, michael robitz, barry beagen, and alice colverd

gensler project team —
principal and project director: madeline burke-vigeland (AIA)
principal and technical director: ambrose aliaga-kelly (AIA)
team: david adler (RA), thomasz bona (AIA, LEED), kristian gregerson (AIA), ethan huang (AIA), mariano ortiz ratkovic, michelle neary (AIA), mina onar, vivian schapsis (AIA), wendy tang (AIA, LEED)
brand and graphics: john bricker, mieko oda, eileen moore (SEGD), jose troconis, jocelyn mastroianni, adam tanski (SEGD)

director, real estate expansion, MoMA: jean savitsky
construction manager: turner construction company
retail consultant: lumsden design
lighting designer — public spaces: tillotson design associates
lighting designer — gallery spaces: renfro design group
MEP/FP/IT: jaros baum & bolles (JB&B)
structural: severud associates
façade: heintges consulting architects & engineers P.C.
sustainability: atelier ten
security: DVS security
acoustics/audio-visual: cerami associates
vertical transportation: van deusen associates (VDA)
theater planning & design: fisher dachs associates (FDA)
theater audiovisual: boyce nemec designs
waterproofing: vidaris
foodservice: cini-little international, inc
signage/wayfinding: wkshps in collaboration with gensler
steel fabricator — blade stair: dante tisi, DAMTSA
steel fabricator — retail stair, counters: m cohen
steel fabricator — canopy: frener+reifer, germany
millwork: miller blaker