The gallery’s new wing will more than double the size of the existing building. The new addition will add almost 15,000 square feet to the gallery, providing new indoor and outdoor space for various exhibitions and ample space for art-related activities and events.
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According to the architects, the design focus was to create a modern building with a respectful nod to the area’s famed Navajo pattern making. The folded facade of the building reflects the “rich history and culture of the American southwest”.
The SITE gallery is located in the Santa Fe Railyard, a formerly abandoned area that was completely renovated by architect Frederic Schwartz and landscape architect Ken Smith in 2008. The area is now a vibrant community area thanks, in part, to the gallery’s popularity.
SHoP principal Christopher Sharples explained that the gallery’s extension will further enhance the gallery’s presence within the community, “Our design is based around the idea that art doesn’t have to be experienced in isolation. The galleries will become unique and intimate places to interact with art, even as the building itself opens up to the neighbouring park, the life of the Railyard district, and gives SITE a greater presence in the landscape of the city as a whole.”
Construction on the new wing is slated to begin early next year and is expected to open in summer 2017.
+ SHoP Architects
Via Dezeen
