Chazen expansion project receives architectural honors
Silhouettes of footwear are seen as people walk across a yellow, translucent-glass section bridging the third-floor galleries at the expanded Chazen Museum of Art.
Photo: Jeff Miller
The Chazen Museum of Art expansion project has received recognition this spring from Wisconsin business media and architecture organizations.
Those include In Business magazine’s Project of the Year Commercial Design Award, citing its aesthetics for patrons of the arts, its contribution to the East Campus Mall, and its compatibility with the original Harry Weese-designed museum building named for Conrad Elvehjem.
The 86,000-square-foot expansion was designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston with Continuum Architects + Planners of Milwaukee, and Findorff was the general contractor. The new building opened in October 2011.
Here are the honors that the project has received in recent months:
In Business Commercial Design Awards 2012, Project of the Year – One judge said, “It’s an extraordinary building with crisp, elegant elevations, and a beautiful flow of space through the galleries. Good materials and elegantly detailed.”
American Institute of Architects-Wisconsin, Honor Award 2012 – The Honor Award is given for overall design excellence. Jury comment: “The architect was able to take on the iconic idea and transform it. While keeping some of the main pieces of the original art museum, it creates a totally different building that stands on its own. It is a beautiful extension of common sensibility. We also commend the architect on the superbly simple and elegant detailing throughout. The stone exterior and soffits are very well done, displaying the care and craftsmanship in the design as well as its execution by the contractor.”
Madison Trust for Historic Preservation honor for compatible design – Received for the project’s blending of original and contemporary design. The trust said: “The awards honor building or design that maintain the historic character of a property or rehabilitate them for contemporary use.”
The Daily Reporter, Top Projects 2011 – The Daily Reporter is the news source for the construction trade. The 30 Top Project of 2011 winners were selected based on challenges they overcame before and during construction, the benefit the projects offered to the communities they were being built in and any advancement they provided to the state’s construction industry.