en.Wedoany.com Reported - OMA has doubled the floor area of the New Museum in New York to 11,148 square meters through an expansion. The design concept is not a simple addition but creates a visual "equal partner" for the original SANAA building, making the overall space more complete.
Shohei Shigematsu, partner at OMA New York, stated that the team did not view it as a standalone expansion but focused on finding an interesting balance and subtle relationship. The original SANAA building, completed in 2007, consists of stacked, offset boxes clad in stretched aluminum mesh and has become a landmark in Lower Manhattan. As visitor numbers grew and exhibition content expanded, the original interior gallery spaces felt cramped with poor circulation.
OMA's expansion is lower and deeper than the original building, creating a small plaza through triangular cuts in the facade, revealing a previously obscured side of the original structure. The top volume slopes back from the street, forming a series of triangular terraces that showcase the original building's cantilevered crown. Inside, the new and old floors are seamlessly connected.
A signature feature of OMA's design is a large staircase spiraling up the front of the building, addressing the original circulation issues and offering city views as it ascends. This space is described as a "collision space" for users and the public to linger, meet, and interact. Currently, a linen textile installation titled "Shelter" by artist Klára Hosnedlová hangs from the center of the stairwell atrium.
The building facade is made of glass with a metal mesh interlayer. During the day, the glass appears solid and highly metallic under sunlight; at night, it becomes transparent. The project is still undergoing construction refinements after opening.
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