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Multi-Award Winner

Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Redefining a Buffalo landmark.

Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Client

Buffalo AKG Art Museum Expansion

Location

Buffalo, NY

Solutions

Master Planning

Completion Year

2023

Awards

Buffalo Business First Golden Brick, ENR Regional Award of Merit

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery Board of Directors launched the AK360 Campus Development and Expansion Project in 2014 to expand and upgrade the original 1905 and 1962 expansion facilities. The proposed program for this project consists of 43,500 square feet of renovated space, 67,000 net square feet of new space, and a 60,000-square-foot underground parking garage with 100 spaces. Located within a historic Olmsted Park setting, other enhancements include a glass bridge that curves around a grove of oak trees that are over one hundred years old, allowing visitors to walk between the original buildings and the new Gundlach building.

The new building’s glass façade allows those passing by to view some of the artwork from the exterior of the building. A courtyard was covered with an installation called Common Sky, creating an indoor space that can be used free of charge to the public for gatherings, concerts, and occasional art displays. Where there was once a surface parking lot, there is now a great lawn, enhancing the sustainability of the space by reducing impervious materials on site while providing a new venue for the public concerts that take place through the spring, summer, and fall months. The project involved coordination between multiple agencies, including the City of Buffalo, Buffalo Sewer Authority, Olmsted Parks Conservancy, and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The team aided in permitting with the City of Buffalo, State, and local agencies, including a permitting effort that resulted in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the site during the SEQR process. Wendel provided support for SHPO historical and archaeological reviews. Extra care was taken for all aspects of the site, from the placement of the plants to the finish on the joints for the sidewalk; the contractor was careful to provide a museum-level finish.

The project achieved its goal of creating an immersive environment that seamlessly blends the art museum with the surrounding park. The architecture, engineering, and construction teams came together to ensure that the site and building design achieved this goal while allowing the new Gundlach building’s modern glass and marble façade to stand out as a new landmark in historic downtown Buffalo. The curved glass bridge that winds around a grove of century-old oak trees that were preserved as part of the project allows visitors to walk between the original buildings and the new Gundlach building. The museum reopened in the summer of 2023 and has already demonstrated the impact that it has had on the community. The museum continues to provide a world-class facility in which to view its collection of modern art, art classes, concerts, and a free outdoor gathering space for the community to enjoy.