MOMA P.S. 1
Queens, New York
design/engineer, engineer, consult, fabrication, installation
One of the city’s most renowned contemporary art spaces, MoMA PS1 showcases experimental artists inside a former school building and its large front courtyard. We worked with Andrew Berman Architect to update the museum’s main entrance with a new steel and glass pavilion. We fabricated and installed its main element: a monumental set of painted steel and glass doors. The doors’ streamlined design layers the glazing flush to the doorframe, creating a seamless surface
These technically challenging doors (weighing over 4,000 pounds) and the frame had to structurally support the other key addition: a concrete marquee cantilevered over the sidewalk. They also needed to fit precisely between the poured concrete floor and roof. Facing the entrance, the glass façade appears to be split in half. In fact, one side is a 10-by-11-foot swinging door that can be opened in conjunction with the adjacent openings to create a 22-foot portal for parties and events, or to stage large works of art inside the space. Together, these doors also enclose a new entry space between the street and the courtyard for ticketing, book sales and visitor information. This installation received AIA NY’s Design Award in 2012.
