In designing an addition to Rutgers’ Zimmerli Art Museum, one of the most celebrated university museums in the nation, KSS Architects paid close attention to incorporating the addition with its eclectic surroundings. The addition improves circulation throughout the museum by bridging the non-matching levels with the use of ramps. Visitors no longer have to backtrack to visit the collections. The interior spaces are open and airy, featuring 16-ft high ceilings with exposed structural elements. An atrium connects the floors to provide visual continuity and orient visitors.
Outside, the addition fits into its neighboring buildings. Surrounding the museum are several buildings that use many different masonry schemes. The team incorporated and simplified aspects of these schemes into the addition, uniting the building neighborhood. The exterior features a standing seam metal roof, masonry, cast stone, and cement plaster to complement the surroundings and provide some relief from the busy patterns.
