Ozark Modern – Architect’s Newspaper features Springfield Art Museum
‘In Missouri, the Springfield Art Museum is slated for a major renovation and expansion by BNIM. The Kansas City office is working on a design scheme that sets out to modernize the existing 51,000-square-foot building in the Ozarks.
BNIM’s new design posits a relatively horizontal building that in its materiality, composition, and sensitivity to nature recalls Thomas Phifer’s Glenstone Museum. The low-lying structure made of glass, wood, and corrugated white panels will sit comfortably on the nearby Fassnight Creek. The overall goal is to create a unified campus with artwork placed around the park-like grounds and an upgraded amphitheater for hosting programs. Given its proximity to the creek, special attention will also be paid to flood mitigation.
In plan, the forthcoming museum by BNIM is rectangular and centered by a lush courtyard. Many of the museum’s artworks will be visible from the street thanks to the facade’s translucency. Its tall rooms will enable grand murals, paintings, and sculptures to abound.’