Mexican architect Frida Escobedo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) have unveiled design of a New Modern and Contemporary Art Wing, which will house The Met’s renowned collection of 20th- and 21st-century art.

The Met noted that in the 154-year history of the Museum, architect Frida Escobedo is the first female architect to design a wing.

In addition to providing a wing that blends in seamlessly with the rest of the museum, the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing  will expand the current gallery space by almost 50 per cent, creating over 70,000 square feet (6,503 square meters) for the exhibition of modern and contemporary art. It will also address accessibility, infrastructure, and sustainability needs throughout all floors. 

The Tang Wing will contribute to the Museum's rich heritage of promoting deliberate, daring, and creative design that is itself a work of art, drawing inspiration from The Met's numerous architectural styles, art holdings, and Central Park location.

Exterior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing (view from the northwest corner)

The renovated five-story wing will not rise above the original height of the 1,880 wing at the heart of the Museum complex, and it will stay inside the 123,000-square-foot (11,427-square-metre) footprint of the current structure. 

The 126,000-square-foot (11,705-square-metre) is anticipated to generate 4,000 union jobs during construction. The initiative aims to have 30–40 per cent of business enterprises owned by women and minorities participate. 

Virginia and New York-based Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLC, engineering companies Kohler Ronan and Thornton Tomasetti, and lead design architect Frida Escobedo Studio comprise the design and engineering team.

The remarkable local, national, and international support for the project from both new and seasoned trustees and donors was demonstrated in May 2024 when the Museum announced a fundraising milestone of $550 million in private gifts for the wing.

Rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art from aerial view featuring the Tang Wing at the southeast corner

“Our goal has been to create a building that fully meets the needs and aspirations of The Met, weaving together vital connections between the Modern and Contemporary Art galleries and other areas of the Museum and at the same time expressing the special significance of the Tang Wing’s place in the city," said Frida Escobedo, Founder and Principal of Frida Escobedo Studio. 

"The wing is in New York, yet of the world; it reflects the global nature of this great collection and also draws inspiration from The Met’s unique surroundings."

"Such an ambition can be realized only through close and consistent collaboration. We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary partners at The Met and to all the members of the expert design team," Escobedo added.

Interior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing

Inspired by the famous Central Park and the 21 structures that currently comprise The Met's campus, Escobedo's design skillfully incorporates a modern aesthetic into the Museum's 154-year architectural legacy. 

The scaled facade, which consists of a three-story base with a recessed fourth floor and an additional setback fifth floor, is inspired by the visionary 1971 master plan by Roche Dinkeloo, which calls for a rhythm of solids and voids, as demonstrated by the use of limestone and glass in the seven buildings designed by Kevin Roche. 

A limestone "celosía"—an architectural screen that alludes to a universal architectural language spanning several cultures and centuries—defines Escobedo's facade, continuing that overarching ambition for the Museum.

Interior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing

Its stone lattice and mineral texture will produce a delicate surface that will delicately react to the sun's movement throughout the day. In addition to the sporadic use of floor-to-ceiling glass, Escobedo's design's materiality and composition carefully combine elements of Richard Morris Hunt's and McKim, Mead, and White's Beaux Arts Fifth Avenue facade with the distinctive design features of Roche's wings.

Escobedo's interior design produces dynamic exhibition areas that blend together and can display pieces of various sizes and levels of intricacy. The ceiling heights, which range from 11 (3,35 meter) to 22 (6,70 meter) feet, enable the exhibition of expansive installations that contrast with smaller areas. 

The overall gallery space will rise by almost half with a redesigned building architecture and programming. A 1,000-square-foot cafe will also be located on the fifth level, where guests can stop for refreshments before continuing to explore the galleries of modern and contemporary art.

All year long, both indoor and outdoor areas will offer the spectacular views that both New Yorkers and tourists have grown accustomed to. The famous vistas of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline will be brought within for four-season enjoyment thanks to the wide south-facing windows in the galleries on the fourth and fifth floors. 

Interior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing

Additionally, both floors will provide direct access to the city and park, resulting in an additional 18,500 square feet (1,719 square meters) of outdoor space divided among the terraces on the fourth and fifth floors. 

The fifth-floor Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden will relocate to the fourth-floor terrace, giving guests another opportunity to take in artwork while taking in views of Central Park and the city skyline.

Space for the seasonal Cantor Roof Garden will increase from 7,500 square feet (697 square meters) to around 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) in its new location on the fourth floor. Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz landscaping Architects will create the landscaping for the fifth-floor outdoor space, drawing influence from Central Park's multi-layered traditions. Visitors will be able to re-establish a connection with the natural world and the metropolis beyond in this outdoor space.

Exterior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing (view from the southwest corner)

The design of the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing was assigned to David Chipperfield Architects in 2015. Due to financial constraints and the growing expenses of the project by David Chipperfield Architects, The Met announced in 2017 that it had put a seven-year halt to renovations.

In 2022, Mexican architect Frida Escobedo was announced as the designer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing in New York. 

The Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing is scheduled to open in 2030.

All renderings © Filippo Bolognese, courtesy of Frida Escobedo Studio.

> via The Met 

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