The museum has hired British architect David Chipperfield to develop the new addition, which will be based in the southwest wing. Chipperfield had earlier designed Mexico City’s Museo Jumex and had worked on the rebuilding of Berlin’s Neues Museum.
The project may include several nearby galleries, such as the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The firm Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners is serving as consultant for the project. Certain parts of the Met’s structure are classified as landmarks as per a 1977 decision by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. The museum thus has to get approval for the plan from the committee before it can make any changes.
The museum had constructed a $65 million entrance plaza last year, and has issued $250 million in taxable 30-year bonds to fund its infrastructure expansions. Many of these projects are part of museum director Thomas Campbell’s attempts to make the museum more accessible to the public. Several projects are underway to help the museum connect with the local populace, through the Internet, community gatherings and exhibits. “One of our priorities for our five-year strategy is accessibility and local communities,” said Campbell, in an interview to the LA Times.
The museum, located on Fifth Avenue at East 82nd street, is located in Central Park, which is probably what prompted the museum to clarify that it will not expand the area it occupies within the park, nor will it add any height to the existing structure. David Brodsky, a real estate developer, and chairman of the Met’s board of directors clarified, “it will be no higher than any of the existing buildings that are there.”
