Erie Art Museum Addition - EDGE Studio

Design Team: Anne Chen, AIA LEED AP, Matt Fineout, AIA, Jonathan Golli, Stephen Mrdjenovich,
Matthew Manzo
Location: Erie, PA
Project Year: October 2010
Gross Area: 57,000 sf
Photographer: David Joseph

Construction Manager: Spaulding Banks Project Management
Structural Engineer: Desimone Consulting Engineers
MEP:   Firsching, Marstiller, Rusbarsky & Wolf
Civil Engineer:  Civil & Environmental Consultants
LEED Consultant:  Evolve
Lighting Design:  Lam Partners
Acoustic Consultant: Gannon University

Project Description
The renovation and expansion of the Erie Art Museum, which opened in October 2010, redefined the museum as a recurring destination for the community.  With a goal of obtaining gold LEED certification, the building will be the first LEED designed project in Erie County.   The project provides the museum with an innovative and recognizable building image consistent with the organization’s mission and goals. The museum, in addition to exhibiting curated art in a gallery environment, has always supported environmental art in installation settings.  The addition provides the museum with a building identity reflecting this value. The project, located in downtown Erie, includes a new entry and public space, new spaces for permanent and traveling exhibitions, a multipurpose performance and program space, a café, and an outdoor “living room,” which will foster diverse activities and serve multiple audiences and a more interior sculpture garden.  New education spaces, offices and back of house spaces are also a part of the project. 

Previously housed in two existing but noncontiguous buildings, the Museum committed to a project that would link the facilities, both physically and experientially, and provide a new, common entrance along with flexible gallery spaces and a large multipurpose room.  Because one of the existing buildings is a Historical Landmark and owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the project was also required to meet standards set by the US Department of the Interior. 

The project incorporates a 10,000 sf addition along with reorganization and renovation of 47,000 sf of existing space to improve the functionality and environment of the museum.  A continuous visitor experience was designed by creating opportunities for experiential transition synchronized with the inevitable thresholds between different building structures. 

The addition provides an accessible and prominent main entrance with a dynamic architectural identity.  It is porous, transparent and designed to capture and intrigue patrons and passers-by, encouraging the community to engage.  The architecture cantilevers outward to capture the view from Erie’s main street.  It was the museum’s objective that the project physically set itself apart from the adjacent buildings and incorporate color to contrast with the predominantly grey skies of Erie.  The bold forms and the warm copper and metallic blue panels were developed to meet this need.

Innovative sustainable design features, including a large gallery with rotating walls that can be reconfigured quickly with minimal staff effort, helped to earn this project a Kresge Foundation Grant for Green Building Design and Construction.  This design strategy eliminates material waste generated from constructing and demolishing temporary partitions, and reduces the staff time necessary to set up exhibitions.   Green roofs, low water use plumbing fixtures, permeable paving, a permeable stormwater removal system, a highly insulated building envelope, and an energy efficient mechanical system that delivers a Class A environment, set by the American Association of Museums, all contribute to a building designed to reduce operational expense and to limit environmental effect.