The new Contemporary Art + Design wing at the Corning Museum of Glass, which opened today, is appropriately sheathed in a reflective opaque glass facade. Architect Thomas Phifer, who designed the new 100,000-square-foot exhibition space dedicated to glass art and design works, realized that glass "glows" while he was looking at an Alvar Aalto vase on a sunny day, according to the New York Times. Phifer, inspired by the light's effect on glass, created an airy, dreamy all-white space that is essentially drowning in light.
The interior is divided into five new galleries enclosed by large curvy walls, with skylights lining the ceiling and separated by thick concrete beams. Outside the enclosed gallery spaces is an area called "the porch," with a 40-meter-long window. It's a pretty unusual museum space—where most museums tend to try to control interior light so artwork isn't harmed by the sun, Phifer didn't follow those rules.
Each gallery is a different shape and size and focuses on a distinct theme. One, for example, is for large-scale installations while the other includes only pieces that are less than 25 years old.
·Thomas Phifer adds reflective white wing to Corning Museum of Glass in New York [Dezeen]
· All Museums posts [Curbed National]
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