Saginaw Art Museum

Saginaw Art Museum in Saginaw, Michigan by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects

The relationship between and old and new is a potentially fascinating one covered many times on this web page, most recently in a Danish Glass Museum that seems to parallel this extension of a museum in Michigan. Both the Glass Museum and the Saginaw Art Museum flank additions about a single, historical structure, in this case the 1904 Ring Mansion by Charles A. Platt. Both also choose to contrast the existing with their contemporary buildings, respecting the past while also creating suitably rich additions.

This award-winning design by New York-based Platt Byard Dovell White Architects (with local architect Wigen Tincknell Meyer & Associates) splits the addition into an exhibition wing and an educational wing. This respect to the past is apparent in how each wing is linked by glass walkways that push the wings away from the existing mansion. This also helps create a larger courtyard and sculpture garden.

The most striking aspect of the simple design is the copper exterior walls. Topped by clerestory windows, these walls (apparently pre-patinaed) contrast with the existing mansion's red brick walls, though they also add another green to the landscape. In winter, the walls' color is especially prominent and pleasing.

Like the Danish Glass Museum, these new spaces close themselves from the exterior world yet open themselves to the private courtyard. The aforementioned clerestory windows alleviate this semi-closure that would otherwise limit natural light into the gallery and educational spaces. The sparse, yet simple and exposed interiors are a suitable combination with the simple yet rich exterior.