Jerusalem limestone creates signature stone building

摘要

Born into a working-class family in 1872, Albert Coombs Barnes grew up in Philadelphia, PA. As an entrepreneur and lover of art, he founded the Barnes Foundation in 1922 to "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture." Recently, a new 93,000-square-foot building was constructed in downtown Philadelphia to provide new facilities for the Foundation's core programs in art education as well as for temporary exhibitions and visitor amenities. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) of New York, NY, the new building includes a 12,000-square-foot gallery to display the legendary Barnes art collection, which replicates the dimensions and shapes of the spaces in the original facility in Merion, PA. Additionally, the new gallery is based on the founder's conception of visual interplay between art and nature. In realizing the design of the new structure, a significant amount of time was devoted to selecting the stone, which was employed extensively for exterior and interior applications.