Hood Museum Renovation & Addition

A Fusion of Modern Design and Unique Materials, Museum’s Expansion and Renovation Connects Culture and Community through Creativity

The project involved the renovation and expansion of the existing museum to create a new 62,400-square-foot space. The finished project included expanded gallery space, acclimatized art storage, support spaces for woodshops, exhibitions, improved visitor amenities, upgraded collection storage and curatorial spaces, three classrooms in the new learning center, and new offices for the museum staff on the third level. The museum is connected to the Hopkins Center for the Arts via a new expansive lobby space.

The existing building was renovated to address longstanding issues with the envelope and provide new updated finishes, while maintaining important elements of the original design.

The unique design called for many custom materials. These included Danish bricks, custom ceramic bathroom tiles, natural stone flooring from Italy and China, and exterior paving stones from China. Finish materials also included large (14-foot high) hollow metal and wood doors with pivoting and offset pivoting hinges. In addition, large sliding artwall doors, pocket doors and a custom metallic reveal base throughout the museum were also among the notable finish materials.

The project site was surrounded by active buildings and facilities—the Hopkins Center to the west, Wilson Hall and East Wheelock Street to the north, Hampshire Residence Hall, the Heating Plant and loading dock to the east and the Black Family Visual Arts Center to the south.

Project Highlights

• Logistically complex, heart of campus project site
• Extensive use of BIM throughout the project
• Detailed planning and coordination with all the impacted stakeholders to achieve the required phasing and sequencing for demolition, excavation for the new addition, utility enabling and upgrades, and new construction work
• Close management of material deliveries given the limited laydown and storage space
• Most of the museum’s approximately 65,000 piece collection was relocated to offsite storage before the project’s commencement, except the its Assyrian Reliefs (dating back to 883-859 BCE) which remained in place on a gallery wall throughout the renovation
• The project was executed under, around, behind, and over the priceless collection of stone reliefs