American Folk Art Museum
53rd Street Building
The American Folk Art Museum’s building at 45 West 53rd Street opened December 11, 2001, to great critical and public acclaim. The 30,000-square-foot structure, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects LLP, is clad in sixty-three panels of lightly textured tombasil, a white bronze alloy. The eight-level, 85-foot tall structure is capped by a skylight above a grand interior stair connecting the third and the fourth floors, with dramatic cut-throughs at each floor to allow natural light to filter into the galleries and through to the lower levels. As a result, dramatic interior spaces are animated by a wash of light, enhancing the experience of the visitor.
The lustrous, sculptural facade is the product of a manual fabrication process evocative of the hands-oriented approach characteristic of folk art; its panels are cast by pouring molten metal directly into gated forms on the concrete floor of the foundry. The faceted panels, which appear stonelike and metallic at the same time, create different visual effects catching the light of the sun as it rises and sets, east and west along 53rd Street.
The galleries on the four top floors of the building vary in scale from intimate spaces that allow for a personalized art experience to open areas for the display of larger works. Art is also integrated into public spaces, such as the lobby, stairwells, and hallways, utilizing a system of niches throughout the building that offers interaction with a changing group of folk art objects beyond the gallery setting. Visitors are able to move between building levels by using three different staircases—a layout that encourages multiple paths of circulation and gives the visitor the feeling of an architectural journey. Adding a sense of warmth to the building, the gallery floors are made of wood set into concrete. Seven of the eight levels of the building are entirely dedicated to public space. The mezzanine level houses a café overlooking a two-story atrium and offering views of 53rd Street. At the entrance level is the book and gift shop, with access during non-museum hours via a separate exit to the street. The museum offices, reference library, rare book room, and educational areas, including the auditorium and classroom, are located on two levels below ground.
The lustrous, sculptural facade is the product of a manual fabrication process evocative of the hands-oriented approach characteristic of folk art; its panels are cast by pouring molten metal directly into gated forms on the concrete floor of the foundry. The faceted panels, which appear stonelike and metallic at the same time, create different visual effects catching the light of the sun as it rises and sets, east and west along 53rd Street.
The galleries on the four top floors of the building vary in scale from intimate spaces that allow for a personalized art experience to open areas for the display of larger works. Art is also integrated into public spaces, such as the lobby, stairwells, and hallways, utilizing a system of niches throughout the building that offers interaction with a changing group of folk art objects beyond the gallery setting. Visitors are able to move between building levels by using three different staircases—a layout that encourages multiple paths of circulation and gives the visitor the feeling of an architectural journey. Adding a sense of warmth to the building, the gallery floors are made of wood set into concrete. Seven of the eight levels of the building are entirely dedicated to public space. The mezzanine level houses a café overlooking a two-story atrium and offering views of 53rd Street. At the entrance level is the book and gift shop, with access during non-museum hours via a separate exit to the street. The museum offices, reference library, rare book room, and educational areas, including the auditorium and classroom, are located on two levels below ground.
The Architects
The work of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects LLP bridges different worlds—across theory and practice; across architecture and the fine arts. Tod Williams had a seasoned foundation in the practice of architecture with more than six years as an associate in the office of Richard Meier before starting his own practice in 1974. Billie Tsien brings to architecture a background in the fine arts and a keen interest in crossing disciplinary boundaries.
Both architects maintain active teaching careers parallel to their practice. Tsien has taught at Parsons School of Design, SCI-ARC, Harvard, Yale, and UT Austin. Williams has taught at the Cooper Union, SCI-ARC, Harvard, Yale, and UT Austin and held the Thomas Jefferson chair at the University of Virginia in 1990. They shared the Jane and Bruce Graham chair at Penn in 1998. Tsien is on the boards of the Architectural League and the Public Art Fund, and she is a vice president of the Municipal Art Society in New York City. Williams is on the advisory board of the School of Architecture at Princeton.
Both architects maintain active teaching careers parallel to their practice. Tsien has taught at Parsons School of Design, SCI-ARC, Harvard, Yale, and UT Austin. Williams has taught at the Cooper Union, SCI-ARC, Harvard, Yale, and UT Austin and held the Thomas Jefferson chair at the University of Virginia in 1990. They shared the Jane and Bruce Graham chair at Penn in 1998. Tsien is on the boards of the Architectural League and the Public Art Fund, and she is a vice president of the Municipal Art Society in New York City. Williams is on the advisory board of the School of Architecture at Princeton.
The Architects Discuss the Building Materials
Facade Panels
When first asked what the facade of the museum might be, our rather facetious response was that it might be made of old bubble gum. The second impulse was to consider tilt-up concrete panels cast on the vacant lot next door to the site. One could imagine the layers of urban archeology that could be uncovered and incorporated into the facade of the building. Obviously, both these ideas were not realistic, but they revealed our desire to clad the building in a material that was both common and amazing, and that would show a connection with the handmade quality of folk art. We wanted the building to reflect the direct connection between heart and hand.
Tombasil
We decided to look for a material that had a warmer color. Tombasil is a commercially produced white bronze alloy used for boat propellers, fire hose nozzles, and grave markers (hence its name). It has a warm yet silvery quality that we liked. We were interested in the direct fabrication technique; one that revealed how the panels were made. Samples were made at first by pouring the material directly onto the concrete floor of the foundry. We also tried pouring tombasil onto steel plates for a smoother finish. Although the results were interesting, they were also uncontrollable. The intense heat of the molten metal caused water entrapped in the concrete to explode; the results were interesting pockmarks but dangerous working conditions. The heat also caused the steel plates to warp and buckle. Working with the Tallix foundry in Beacon, New York, we eventually developed a more controlled situation using sand molds taken from concrete and steel.
Resin Fiberglass
We previously used fiberglass in an installation of screens that we had designed. We very much liked the translucency and its “low tech” quality. Originally, we wanted to use a screen wall of fiberglass to shield the primary staircase. The screen would create silhouettes of people walking up and down the stairs. We wanted the screen to be blue. However, since it was a permanent part of the building, the fiberglass needed to be fireproofed, a process that would have produced a murky brown tone. The samples show how the color changed as we worked with the fabricator to produce what eventually became the blue-green panels.
Pietra Piesentina
This stone comes from a small quarry north of Venice. The stone occurs as large boulders that are dug out of the earth and cut into more standard rectangular blocks. In northern Italy, pietra piesentina is used for paving as well as for exteriors and interiors. In the museum, it is used on the floors and walls of the lower, ground, and mezzanine levels in a flamed or roughened finish. The stone's warm gray tone complements the concrete used throughout the building and creates a contrast to the cool blue-green tone of the fiberglass.
Douglas Fir
The materials of the museum are a balance of warm and cool. To counter the coolness of the concrete and glass, many elements throughout the museum are made of Douglas fir, which has a warm reddish hue. Solid, full-length fir planks are set into terrazzo ground concrete in the gallery spaces. Solid wood rails run along the glass handrails. This same wood is also used in a woven manner as a balustrade wall separating the café (on the mezzanine level) from the ground level of the museum. It also appears as a series of fins along the wall of the auditorium.
Laminated Insulated Glass
An extremely clear glass, Starfire, manufactured by Pittsburgh Plate Glass, was chosen for the windows. Glass usually has a green tint to it, which causes both light entering the building and views out of the building to have a greenish quality. To keep views of the city true to their color, this special transparent glass was used.
Concrete
The concrete throughout the museum has been finished using different techniques; although the material stays the same, it varies in color and finish. The slabs throughout the building are terrazzo ground to produce a smooth finish that reveals the stone aggregate. The poured-in-place concrete walls are bush hammered: this technique involves using a jackhammer over the surface, which creates a rough but controlled texture.
Cold-Rolled Steel
The handrails along the main stair, which runs from the top to the bottom of the gallery spaces, are fabricated from blued cold-rolled steel. We chose the steel because it is both humble and elegant.
Terne-Coated Stainless Steel
The exterior of the north facade of the building is finished with thin sheets of steel. They are used in an overlapping manner, rather like enlarged shingles, to create both depth and texture.
Heath Company Terra Cotta Hand-Glazed Tile
The Heath Company started as an art ceramics studio in Sausalito, California, in 1948. The entry and the interior walls of the bathrooms are finished using their white tile. Each tile is hand glazed, which causes variations in the final color.
Cherry
Benches in the galleries and tables in the library are custom made by cabinetmaker Steven Lino from cherry wood. Cherry is similar in color to Douglas fir, but it is a deeper red and a harder wood.
—Tod Williams and Billie Tsien
When first asked what the facade of the museum might be, our rather facetious response was that it might be made of old bubble gum. The second impulse was to consider tilt-up concrete panels cast on the vacant lot next door to the site. One could imagine the layers of urban archeology that could be uncovered and incorporated into the facade of the building. Obviously, both these ideas were not realistic, but they revealed our desire to clad the building in a material that was both common and amazing, and that would show a connection with the handmade quality of folk art. We wanted the building to reflect the direct connection between heart and hand.
Tombasil
We decided to look for a material that had a warmer color. Tombasil is a commercially produced white bronze alloy used for boat propellers, fire hose nozzles, and grave markers (hence its name). It has a warm yet silvery quality that we liked. We were interested in the direct fabrication technique; one that revealed how the panels were made. Samples were made at first by pouring the material directly onto the concrete floor of the foundry. We also tried pouring tombasil onto steel plates for a smoother finish. Although the results were interesting, they were also uncontrollable. The intense heat of the molten metal caused water entrapped in the concrete to explode; the results were interesting pockmarks but dangerous working conditions. The heat also caused the steel plates to warp and buckle. Working with the Tallix foundry in Beacon, New York, we eventually developed a more controlled situation using sand molds taken from concrete and steel.
Resin Fiberglass
We previously used fiberglass in an installation of screens that we had designed. We very much liked the translucency and its “low tech” quality. Originally, we wanted to use a screen wall of fiberglass to shield the primary staircase. The screen would create silhouettes of people walking up and down the stairs. We wanted the screen to be blue. However, since it was a permanent part of the building, the fiberglass needed to be fireproofed, a process that would have produced a murky brown tone. The samples show how the color changed as we worked with the fabricator to produce what eventually became the blue-green panels.
Pietra Piesentina
This stone comes from a small quarry north of Venice. The stone occurs as large boulders that are dug out of the earth and cut into more standard rectangular blocks. In northern Italy, pietra piesentina is used for paving as well as for exteriors and interiors. In the museum, it is used on the floors and walls of the lower, ground, and mezzanine levels in a flamed or roughened finish. The stone's warm gray tone complements the concrete used throughout the building and creates a contrast to the cool blue-green tone of the fiberglass.
Douglas Fir
The materials of the museum are a balance of warm and cool. To counter the coolness of the concrete and glass, many elements throughout the museum are made of Douglas fir, which has a warm reddish hue. Solid, full-length fir planks are set into terrazzo ground concrete in the gallery spaces. Solid wood rails run along the glass handrails. This same wood is also used in a woven manner as a balustrade wall separating the café (on the mezzanine level) from the ground level of the museum. It also appears as a series of fins along the wall of the auditorium.
Laminated Insulated Glass
An extremely clear glass, Starfire, manufactured by Pittsburgh Plate Glass, was chosen for the windows. Glass usually has a green tint to it, which causes both light entering the building and views out of the building to have a greenish quality. To keep views of the city true to their color, this special transparent glass was used.
Concrete
The concrete throughout the museum has been finished using different techniques; although the material stays the same, it varies in color and finish. The slabs throughout the building are terrazzo ground to produce a smooth finish that reveals the stone aggregate. The poured-in-place concrete walls are bush hammered: this technique involves using a jackhammer over the surface, which creates a rough but controlled texture.
Cold-Rolled Steel
The handrails along the main stair, which runs from the top to the bottom of the gallery spaces, are fabricated from blued cold-rolled steel. We chose the steel because it is both humble and elegant.
Terne-Coated Stainless Steel
The exterior of the north facade of the building is finished with thin sheets of steel. They are used in an overlapping manner, rather like enlarged shingles, to create both depth and texture.
Heath Company Terra Cotta Hand-Glazed Tile
The Heath Company started as an art ceramics studio in Sausalito, California, in 1948. The entry and the interior walls of the bathrooms are finished using their white tile. Each tile is hand glazed, which causes variations in the final color.
Cherry
Benches in the galleries and tables in the library are custom made by cabinetmaker Steven Lino from cherry wood. Cherry is similar in color to Douglas fir, but it is a deeper red and a harder wood.
—Tod Williams and Billie Tsien
Awards
• Municipal Art Society New York City Masterwork Award (2001)
• Arup World Architecture Best New Building in the World for 2001 Award (2002)
• American Institute of Architects National Honor Award (2003)
• NYACE Engineering Excellence Award (2003)
• World Architecture Magazine Best Building in the World, Best Public/Cultural Building in the World, and Best North American Building (2003)
• Arup World Architecture Best New Building in the World for 2001 Award (2002)
• American Institute of Architects National Honor Award (2003)
• NYACE Engineering Excellence Award (2003)
• World Architecture Magazine Best Building in the World, Best Public/Cultural Building in the World, and Best North American Building (2003)