Allied Works layers sandstone for facade of Pennsylvania museum

Brooklyn architecture firm Allied Works has created a building with interlocking square forms clad in sandstone and steel for the Palmer Museum of Art in University Park, USA.

The sprawling structure serves as home to Penn State’s art collections, which fill the galleries and storage areas of the 73,000-square-foot (6,781-square-meter) structure.

It consists of a series of square shapes of different heights, called “vessels” by the studio, that extend alongside the forested landscape of the Arboretum and botanical gardens on campus.

Its rectilinear envelopes are broken in half and the two main elements are joined by a closed overpass, under which the main path to the Arboretum passes, so that the structure functions as an entrance gate. The smaller of the two volumes contains the museum’s administrative offices.

Allied works clad much of the building in regional sandstone, intended to establish a connection with many of the stone and brick buildings on campus from the early 19th century.

However, the building’s form is decidedly contemporary, with a tectonic height variation between the different pavilions within the structure. The layout of the structure was chosen to continue the patterns of the site and create a connection between art and the landscape, according to Allied Works.

Stainless steel screens were installed in front of the façade windows, giving variation to the otherwise consistent stone façade. They also serve the practical function of protecting the art inside from direct sunlight.

Inside, the floor plan is distributed over two levels above ground. Some have two separate floors for gallery space and amenities, while others, such as the lobby and select galleries, are double height.

The sandstone exterior continues into the lobby, which has a terrazzo floor. All gallery spaces have oak floors and woodwork.

Many of the gallery spaces have skylights, taking advantage of the building’s large footprint to maximize natural lighting. To help preserve the artwork, the skylights were outfitted with billowing fabric curtains.

The museum has 20 galleries to showcase American, Asian and European art, as well as a section dedicated to contemporary glass. To that end, the museum presents a specific installation by the American glass artist. David Chihuly which “anchors” the museum’s lobby staircase and consists of glass flowers informed by the gardens.

According to the museum team, it will also open with a “collective digital canvas” where visitors are invited to color plants which are then added to a digital screen with moving and auditory elements.

The museum will open to the public on June 1, 2024.

Other Allied Works projects include a veterans memorial in Columbus, Ohio and a massive bronze-clad music center in Canada.

Photography is by Jeremy Bittermann.