The Allied Works-designed Palmer Museum of Art expansion project at Pennsylvania State University has shared new photos of its construction progress to go along with an announced opening date of June 1 next year.

Reed Hilderbrand is coordinating with the firm to deliver the landscaped portion of the LEED Silver-certified design. The project doubles the museum’s existing footprint by adding a new 73,000-square-foot building with 20 new galleries, a café, education, research, and events spaces situated amongst the 370-acre university Arboretum and serviced by a sculpture path and outdoor terraces.

Dale Chihuly’s site-specific sculptural commission, “Lupine Blue Persian Wall,” will be debuted as an anchor that welcomes visitors to the main access point and is framed by the museum’s feature staircase. 

Locally quarried sandstone cladding produces a naturalistic effect on the exterior of each of the building’s interlocking pavilions that are connected to each other via an overhead bridge. Once inside, spatial variations in the galleries help to diversify the users’ experience of the 11,000-object collection, which features everything from ancient ceramics to modern and contemporary American art. 

Views of the Arboretum and H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens are provided finally by nine perforated stainless-steel oculus openings and the panoramic bridge. Insulated roofing, walls, and window glazing contribute to the museum’s energy efficiency and overall building performance. The university anticipates that 70,000 visitors will use the facilities annually.

“The new Palmer Museum of Art will substantially boost accessibility to the University’s art collections for students, faculty, staff, our regional communities, and beyond,” Erin M. Coe, director of the Palmer Museum of Art, said in a university news announcement. “The innovative design brings art, architecture, and nature in dialogue with the array of works in the collection that span centuries and global cultures, offering each visitor an exceptional, enriching experience.”

Costs for the project have been reported at $85 million.