SITE Santa Fe’s New Building Expansion Designed by SHoP Architects Slated for Completion in October 2017
SITE Santa Fe has announced that its new building designed by SHoP Architects will open its doors to visitors this October. A gala dinner will be held in celebration of the building inauguration as well as the opening exhibition on October 5, 2017. Opening festivities and programming will be held from October 6 through October 8.
The project, which broke ground in August 2016, will greatly enhance SITE Santa Fe’s capacity with a total of 36,000 square feet of interior and exterior spaces to further serve the creative community and city of Santa Fe.
“This new expansion strengthens our ability to showcase cutting edge contemporary art and expand the traditional museum experience. We’re delighted to have had the chance to work with the innovative team at SHoP Architects – their design for the new SITE Santa Fe brings a stunning world-class building to Santa Fe’s landscape. We look forward to welcoming visitors to our dynamic new spaces and our expanded programming when we reopen this fall,” said Irene Hofmann, Phillips Director and Chief Curator at SITE Santa Fe.
The new design will address the critical operational and programmatic needs of SITE’s existing facilities, while creating a new spatial presence for the innovative cultural institution. Led by SHoP principals, and project director, Ayumi Sugiyama, the design emphasizes SITE’s role as a progressive and dynamic cultural hub, while considering the current structure and SITE’s increased national and international profile.
“We wanted the design to lend a quality of intimacy to the space but also open it up to the energy of the Railyard district,” said SHoP principal Christopher Sharples. “Together the new galleries, public gathering spaces, and the new exterior entrance signal a mature sophistication throughout the space while also creating a new iconic presence for the institution as it moves forward.”
Key features of the building expansion include the SITElab, an experimental exhibition gallery; a new flexible Auditorium for lectures and events; a Learning Lab, featuring a multi-purpose workspace to welcome local and regional students of all ages; new outdoor gathering and social spaces, including the Entrance Sculpture Court and the Sky Mezzanine; and an expanded SITE Store and a new SITE Snack & Coffee Bar, both situated in the new Lobby.
As part of a fundraising effort, SITE Santa Fe will partner with international auction house Sotheby’s to auction a capsule collection from various galleries, artists and collectors in the Fall of this year.
About SHoP Architects
SHoP is an award-winning architecture firm with a staff of over 180 talented architects, designers and engineers. Since 1996, SHoP has set the standard for creative innovation in the field, modeling a new way forward with its unconventional approach to creating built solutions at every scale. At the heart of the firm’s method is a willingness to question accepted patterns of practice, coupled with the courage to expand, where necessary, beyond the architect’s traditional roles. Recent and current work includes the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, Manhattan’s East River Esplanade, the New Academic Building for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and the Botswana Innovation Hub in Gaborone.
About SITE Santa Fe
SITE Santa Fe opened in 1995 to present what was then the only international biennial of contemporary art in the United States, and one of only a handful of biennials around the world. From the very beginning, SITE established a commitment to a risk-taking and visionary perspective that continues to drive its programs today. Year-round exhibitions and educational programs encourage the creative and intellectual potential of the audience and uphold the region’s tradition of fostering avant-garde art. As an institution with a year-round contemporary art program, SITE hosts an Art & Culture series of lectures and performances, as well as an extensive education and outreach program for local schools, all of which attract over 25,000 local, national and international visitors annually. Since its launch, SITE has presented over 100 exhibitions-including ten biennials-of works by over 700 international artists. Further information on SITE Santa Fe can be found at sitesantafe.org
