Olson Kundig Architects' renovations for Tacoma Art Museum to begin in late October

Olson Kundig Architects' renovation project for the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington is set to begin later this month. The 78-year-old institution held a non-traditional, barn-raising-style groundbreaking celebration on Sept. 6 with over 300 attendees.

The 16,000 sq.foot project consists of a new wing and building expansion that will double gallery space—including housing the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art—and therefore enhance visitors' art experiences and the museum's overall significance in downtown Tacoma. The realization of the project received generous funding from many federal and local sources including the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Washington Building for the Arts program, and the City of Tacoma.

Completion is expected for Fall 2014.

"Design and Construction

Construction of the $15.5 million project will begin in October, with expected completion in fall 2014. Along with award-winning architect Tom Kundig, who is also the architect for the museum’s plaza redesign project, other members of the project’s team include Murase Associates as the landscape architecture firm, Sellen Construction as the project’s construction company, and Bonewitz Project Leadership as project management.

The project will create a welcoming lobby and more than double the gallery space. It will also include a new family interactive gallery, a sculpture hall, and a visitor orientation room. Changes to the existing museum will include a new entrance from the parking level, a faster elevator from the parking level, and improvements to the cafe and museum store. The museum’s outdoor plaza will also be transformed with a tall, gracious canopy that will arch over both the existing museum and the new wing. Outdoor, public art installations will be woven into the areas surrounding the museum.

The museum is incorporating sustainable methods for the construction and design of the addition including: recycling of site debris, energy efficient design, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and conservation of resources through use of materials with recycled content."

For more details, click here.

Images courtesy of Olson Kundig Architects.