Cranbrook Art Museum reopens after renovation and expansion
The Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan, US has reopened after a $22 million renovation and expansion.
The project has been designed by SmithGroupJJR. It involved addition of the new Collections Wing and restoration of the 1942-built facility.
The new wing spans 31,200 square feet over three floors. It comprises three rectangular volumes which reduce in height and width as the building progresses northward. The west facade constitutes a brick wall which steps down as the volumes recede. Its bricks don deep brown shades, and are clear-coated and trimmed with blades in fine stainless steel. The facility also features a series of zinc-clad steel panels measuring 12 feet in height. The panels enclose the new wing's service court and serve as a contrast to the lead-coated copper panels on the red brick New Studios Building. The facility also sports a large square projected window clad in stainless steel.
The interior of the new wing has been adorned with joints of standard gray block which have been raked with the concrete's soft coating retained. There are circulation paths which give way to recessed niches of stainless steel and granite. Mahogany plank doors with custom stainless steel push/pulls, and primary openings inside the block with stainless steel plate surrounds serve as other dominant design features.
The project has also offered a facelift to the existing property which include improvements to its main mechanical plant to regulate temperature and humidity at a constant level throughout the year.
