The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition
Registration Deadline: Oct 29, 2024; Submission Deadline: Oct 29, 2024 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition – Creating a Museum for All – is a global open call for an outstanding architect-led multi-disciplinary team to design a world-class addition for one of the United States’ finest art museums. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art cares for a superlative collection of more than 42,000 art objects and is best known for its extensive Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, African, Native American and Egyptian galleries.Offering free admission to all, and funded by private support, the museum is nationally and internationally acclaimed and serves a broad region within a 300-mile radius.Rarely is a museum gifted with two architectural icons. Here, the first, an original Beaux Arts monument, was funded by the visionary legacies of William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Kansas City Star and civic leader, and Mary McAfee Atkins, an educator turned arts philanthropist. The second, the much-admired and innovative Bloch Building by Steven Holl in 2007, introduced a luminous presence: large glass sculptures that descend the expansive hilltop site in a series of “lenses”.Now the museum is embarking on a third evolution in response to rising and increasingly diverse attendance and a rapidly growing city. The capital campaign associated with this initiative will be the single biggest investment in the arts in Kansas City in recent years (funded by private not public tax dollars) and contribute to the city’s future dynamism and vitality.The museum aims to become a beacon of inclusivity, creativity and social connections. Strategically, the museum’s Board of Trustees is intent on expanding the conventions of the museum, so it becomes a more dynamic, open and inviting place – a place where everyone feels they belong: a Nelson-Atkins for All.As Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution says, “Not a community center, but a center for community”. A place to hang-out as much as an elevated cultural experience, a place that will serve more school children, where people are energized by art, inspired to be creative, and immersed in new experiences.Highlights of the circa 61,000 sq feet new addition(s) will include a primary entrance and welcome foyer, a comprehensive photography center, new featured exhibition galleries, learning and engagement spaces for hands-on art activities, a black box-style theater for digital art and immersive programming, and a restaurant for indoor/outdoor dining and events.Also contained within the competition scope is the repurposing, reconfiguration and renovation of circa 74,000 sq feet of the existing museum space, and activating and amplifying the outdoor spaces, all framed within a thoughtful sustainability strategy. The estimated construction budget is $160 million – $170 million.Like the museum’s earlier icons, this new space needs to be of world class architectural quality and intensely of its time. The Nelson-Atkins desires a building that is both physically and metaphorically transparent. A place that attracts and intrigues passersby with its interior energy, making them want to join and belong in a way they may not have felt or experienced previously. The winning design should reveal the museum’s inner workings to the public, improve connectivity and flow indoors and out, and create highly animated and fluid spaces that integrate into the life of the city.Accordingly, this two-stage international competition seeks architect-led multi-disciplinary teams with an open call for submissions. The museum welcomes US, international, emerging and established practices.No design is required at the first stage. Rather, teams will need to study the Search Statement, and submit their approach to the project, team composition and relevant experience, as well as company details, through the digital form.At the second stage, up to five teams will be selected to engage with the museum and prepare concept designs. An exhibition of the finalist concept designs will be held at the museum in Spring 2025 and the schemes will also be available to view online, giving the community an opportunity to view the submissions and give their feedback before the museum’s Architect Selection Committee meets to interview the finalists and recommend a winner for The Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees’ ratification.Each of the five finalist teams will receive a competition fee of $75,000 at the conclusion of the process.Once a winner has been selected, the museum will work with them to identify a partner design firm registered to practice in the State of Missouri. Please see the Competition page for further details.This first stage deadline closes at 10:00 CDT (UTC‑5) on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.Read the full post on Bustler
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art International Design Competition – Creating a Museum for All – is a global open call for an outstanding architect-led multi-disciplinary team to design a world-class addition for one of the United States’ finest art museums.
Based in Kansas City, Missouri, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art cares for a superlative collection of more than 42,000 art objects and is best known for its extensive Asian art, European and American paintings, photography, modern sculpture, African, Native American and Egyptian galleries.
Offering free admission to all, and funded by private support, the museum is nationally and internationally acclaimed and serves a broad region within a 300-mile radius.
Rarely is a museum gifted with two architectural icons. Here, the first, an original Beaux Arts monument, was funded by the visionary legacies of William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Kansas City Star and civic leader, and Mary McAfee Atkins, an educator turned arts philanthropist. The second, the much-admired and innovative Bloch Building by Steven Holl in 2007, introduced a luminous presence: large glass sculptures that descend the expansive hilltop site in a series of “lenses”.
Now the museum is embarking on a third evolution in response to rising and increasingly diverse attendance and a rapidly growing city. The capital campaign associated with this initiative will be the single biggest investment in the arts in Kansas City in recent years (funded by private not public tax dollars) and contribute to the city’s future dynamism and vitality.
The museum aims to become a beacon of inclusivity, creativity and social connections. Strategically, the museum’s Board of Trustees is intent on expanding the conventions of the museum, so it becomes a more dynamic, open and inviting place – a place where everyone feels they belong: a Nelson-Atkins for All.
As Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution says, “Not a community center, but a center for community”. A place to hang-out as much as an elevated cultural experience, a place that will serve more school children, where people are energized by art, inspired to be creative, and immersed in new experiences.
Highlights of the circa 61,000 sq feet new addition(s) will include a primary entrance and welcome foyer, a comprehensive photography center, new featured exhibition galleries, learning and engagement spaces for hands-on art activities, a black box-style theater for digital art and immersive programming, and a restaurant for indoor/outdoor dining and events.
Also contained within the competition scope is the repurposing, reconfiguration and renovation of circa 74,000 sq feet of the existing museum space, and activating and amplifying the outdoor spaces, all framed within a thoughtful sustainability strategy. The estimated construction budget is $160 million – $170 million.
Like the museum’s earlier icons, this new space needs to be of world class architectural quality and intensely of its time. The Nelson-Atkins desires a building that is both physically and metaphorically transparent. A place that attracts and intrigues passersby with its interior energy, making them want to join and belong in a way they may not have felt or experienced previously. The winning design should reveal the museum’s inner workings to the public, improve connectivity and flow indoors and out, and create highly animated and fluid spaces that integrate into the life of the city.
Accordingly, this two-stage international competition seeks architect-led multi-disciplinary teams with an open call for submissions. The museum welcomes US, international, emerging and established practices.
No design is required at the first stage. Rather, teams will need to study the Search Statement, and submit their approach to the project, team composition and relevant experience, as well as company details, through the digital form.
At the second stage, up to five teams will be selected to engage with the museum and prepare concept designs. An exhibition of the finalist concept designs will be held at the museum in Spring 2025 and the schemes will also be available to view online, giving the community an opportunity to view the submissions and give their feedback before the museum’s Architect Selection Committee meets to interview the finalists and recommend a winner for The Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees’ ratification.
Each of the five finalist teams will receive a competition fee of $75,000 at the conclusion of the process.
Once a winner has been selected, the museum will work with them to identify a partner design firm registered to practice in the State of Missouri. Please see the Competition page for further details.
This first stage deadline closes at 10:00 CDT (UTC‑5) on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.Read the full post on Bustler
