Herzog & de Meuron’s Daylit Parrish Art Museum Opens in Long Island

The recently completed Parrish Art Museum on Long Island may look like two barns, but it's actually a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/grand-rapids-art-museum/" target="_blank">premier art exhibition space</a>. Designed by <a href="http://www.herzogdemeuron.com/index.html" target="_blank">Herzog &amp; de Meuron</a>, the sprawling, open structure takes inspiration from the peaked roofs of farm houses in the area. Most of the galleries in the remote exhibition space are naturally light through skylights that span the length of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/stunning-saw-toothed-roof-floods-swiss-vocational-school-with-light/" target="_blank">dual-peaked roof</a>.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/herzog-de-meurons-zurich-childrens-hospital-will-be-built-around-a-series-of-courtyards/" target="_blank">Herzog &amp; de Meuron</a> are known for translating archetypal designs in creative ways for their projects.

The Parrish Museum is topped with a set of peaked roofs with overhanging eaves that create large covered terrace areas. The shelters provide shade, protection from the rain, and give visitors a place to take in the serene meadow landscape surrounding the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/lotus-shaped-singapore-artmuseum-collects-rain-and-light/" target="_blank">museum</a>.

One terrace even hosts a café with furniture by designer Konstantin Grcic, so visitors can enjoy a snack or glass of wine after perusing the exhibitions. Exposed beams jut out from each side of the eaves, tying in with the grey concrete of the museum walls.

Inside, the galleries are lit with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-tube/" target="_blank">skylights</a> overhead.

Each gallery is capped with north- and south-facing skylights that track sunlight through out the day, illuminating the exhibitions inside. A unique narrow exhibition hall is sandwiched between the two peaked buildings, providing a corridor-like space for viewing art.

The new Parrish Museum double's the museum's available exhibition space while providing an energy-efficient lighting solution.