Situ Studio reOrder: An Architectural Environment

Image courtesy Keith Sirchio/Brooklyn Museum

The space-altering, site-specific architectural installation inaugurated the first phase of the Brooklyn Museum's project for the colonnaded hall on the first floor.

The installation reimagines the classically ordered space to serve as a hub, a place for Museum visitors to congregate, relax, view temporary exhibitions, and occasionally, see a performance.

Image courtesy Keith Sirchio/Brooklyn Museum

Image courtesy Keith Sirchio/Brooklyn Museum

Situ Studio's design, which engages the existing monumental columns, consists of a series of stretched fabric canopies and integrated furnishings that swell, expand, and augment the profile of the columns, transforming them from base to capital.

Sketch courtesy Situ Studio

Image courtesy Situ Studio

Photo courtesy Situ Studio

Adopting the century-old columns as central elements in the design the installation embraces the unique details of McKim, Mead & White's iconic architecture with the goal of transforming the scale of the hall and creating a series of spaces that alternate between the colossal and the intimate.

The renovated Hall will serve to better engage our visitors by creating space for the enhanced presentation of art that will serve generations to come, as this first phase of a major reworking of the first-floor galleries opens. Situ Studio's dynamic and exhilarating installation makes exciting and dramatic use of the new Hall./Arnold L. Lehman, Museum director

The space includes four freestanding walls, reaching almost to the ceiling, that separates a central gallery from a perimeter circulation path. The walls allow for the display of art while concealing ductwork for air-conditioning. The space features a new terrazzo floor, the installation of new track lighting, a sprinkler system, and air-conditioning.

Photo courtesy Situ Studio

Photo courtesy the Brooklyn Museum

The new space has evolved through many designs since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For several years the gallery was used to display pre-Columbian and Native American material. When the Situ installation closes the space will be used as an introductory gallery to the Museum's comprehensive collections, which range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary works.