aperture.pdf

APERTURE FOUNDATION new york | art gallery, library and office

For this not-for-profit foundation, we designed a full renovation of 18,000 sf in a Chelsea

industrial building to accomodate a growing foundation dedicated to photography. The

program required an office workspace to accomodate a staff of 40, (including new

workstations, open collaborative areas and conference rooms), a gallery to highlight their

photography collection and travelling exhibitions, a book sales area, and an education space

for flexible programming. The extensive program requirements posed a challenge as the

foundation’s budget required that construction costs not exceed $45/sf including an entirely

new HVAC system and new bathrooms.

The activities of the foundation span an impressive spectrum in the interest of “advancing fine

photography”. As part of their charge, they design and publish books and a monthly

magazine, run extensive fund raising campaigns, and manage and show a large permanent

collection as well as temporary exhibitions. Because the activities of the staff are so varied, the

corresponding spacial requirements are very different for each department. We did extensive

needs analysis by department and individual at the outset of the project to ensure that the new

space would support the expansion plan driving the relocation.

Embracing the industrial heritage of the space and the revitalizing far west-Chelsea

neighborhood, the shell was left mostly rough while new elements introduced were designed

S L A D E

A R C H I T E C T U R E

APERTURE FOUNDATION new york | art gallery, library and office

S L A D E

A R C H I T E C T U R E

APERTURE FOUNDATION new york | art gallery, library and office

S L A D E

A R C H I T E C T U R E