Contract - November/December 2011 - (Page 27)

industry news New-York Historical Society Premieres First Major Renovation in 73 Years In November, the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library—the first museum established in New York—completed an extensive threeyear renovation by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects. The project includes redesign of the main entrance, auditorium, and museum store, as well as a new gallery, a children’s museum, library, and a restaurant. Originally designed by architecture firm York and Sawyer in 1908, the museum underwent only one previous renovation when it added two wings in 1938 by Walker and Gillette. Visitors to the museum will notice a change upon entering the building from Central Park West, thanks to a reconfiguration of the entrance hall and updated finishes. Elegant architectural glass walls in the hall visually segue into the heart of the museum, the Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History, where eight permanent exhibits inventively highlight the city’s history. For instance, manhole-shaped cases that are flush to the floor display artifacts—a tongue-in-cheek nod to a familiar sight in the city’s streets. The redesigned interiors also incorporate the ceiling that was originally in Keith Haring’s SoHo Pop Shop, featuring primary colors and bold, The Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History Photo courtesy of New-York Historical Society Museum & Library graphic shapes designed by Haring. Rearrangement of the first-floor space allowed updates to the Robert H. Smith auditorium, traditionally used for public lectures and performances. The 1,400-square-foot museum store was enhanced with enlarged windows looking out onto West 77th Street. The brand new DiMenna Children’s History Museum and the Barbara K. Lipman Children’s History Library are on the building’s lower level. Designed by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership, the 4,000-square-foot space features dramatic vaulted ceilings and interactive exhibits developed to engage young people. Also new to the museum is Caffe Storico, a 1,600-square-foot restaurant specializing in cicchetti—small plates from the Veneto region of Italy—from Starr Restaurants. Designed by SLDesign, the space’s warm and contemporary elements are intended to attract both museum visitors and the local Upper West Side residents. The restaurant is accessible through both the New-York Historical Society galleries and an independent entrance. —Emily Hooper IT’S A 4-WAY WIN. A renowned medical center’s waiting rooms and reception areas needed a ® transfusion. We prescribed Immix, an easily reconﬁgurable and attachable seating system that can ﬁt any environment. Everyone—the designer, architect, facility manager and, most of all, the patients—instantly felt better. One doctor said she never saw such a smooth, ﬂawless operation. ® We call that victory for all—or working with Versteel. VERSTEEL.COM Select No. 92 at ContractDesign.com/readerservice http://www.VERSTEEL.COM http://www.VERSTEEL.COM http://www.ContractDesign.com/readerservice

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - November/December 2011

Contract - November/December 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs
Product Focus: Classic Touch
Product Focus: Generating Buzz(i)
Gelfand Partners Architects Office in San Francisco Designed by Gelfand Partners Architects
Sorg Architects Office in Washington, D.C. Designed by Sorg Architects
Sauerbruch Hutton Office in Berlin, Germany Designed by Sauerbruch Hutton
Roth Sheppard Architects Office in Denver Designed by Roth Sheppard Architects
AOL West Coast Headquarters in Palo Alto, California Designed by Studio O+A
Red Bull Canada Office Expansion in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Designed by Johnson Chou Inc.
Goods Shed North in Melbourne, Australia Designed by BVN Architecture
Bota Bota Spa in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Designed by Sid Lee Architecture
A’maree’s in Newport Beach, California Designed by Paul Davis Architects
2011 Contract Brand Report Awareness Survey
Sources
Designers Select: Building Products
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - November/December 2011