阿肯色艺术博物馆丨美国小石城

Construction images of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts reveal the completion of its pleated concrete roof

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) - ariel view of blossom roof. Image © Timothy Hursley

In January,

Archinect previously reported on the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA)

and its plans to open in May 2022. The 133,000-square-foot Museum is designed by

Studio Gang

in collaboration with landscape architecture firm

SCAPE

and Little Rock-based

Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects

. While initial renders of the new Museum's design didn't provide specifics to the Museum's distinct roof design, recent construction images showcase a signature roof design that flows, "blossoming out to the north and south," as described by the firm. "Spanning the length of the building, the roofline connects new construction and renovated spaces and establishes AMFA's new architectural identity."

Image © Timothy Hursley

Located within Little Rock's historic Macarthur Park, Studio Gang's design process began by studying the Museum's original building from 1937 and its eight additions. Aiming to create a renewed architectural identity that integrates the building with its surrounding landscape and the downtown neighborhood, the firm developed a new central space that weaves through the existing structure, seen in its new roofline.

Following their design ethos of "start with what's there," the implementation of adaptive reuse practices was crucial to the Museum's redevelopment. "The most carbon-intensive elements of the building have been kept intact [...] renovated spaces, connected through new construction, improve the Museum's programming capacity, allowing for more art to be displayed, more classes to be taught, and more events to be offered for public engagement."

View construction photos of the project site below.

"Studio Gang excavated and renewed the original 1937 Art Deco façade of the Museum of Fine Arts (the precursor to today’s AMFA), designed by architect H. Ray Burks and built by the Works Progress Administration." Image © Timothy Hursley/Text courtesy of AMFA

Image © Timothy Hursley

"The new design once again reveals the façade, with its allegorical relief sculptures of Painting and Sculpture by Little Rock artist Benjamin D. Brantley, returning it to its function as the main entrance." Image © Timothy Hursley/Text courtesy of AMFA

Despite several projects put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum explained construction continued safely this past year with Studio Gang, SCAPE, and Polk Stanley Wilcox teams overseeing key project milestones. "Continued construction on the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts also served to buffer the region's construction industry in a challenging economic time," shared AMFA. "More than 50 Arkansas companies have been employed on the project, with more than 200 workers at the site every day."

Image © Timothy Hursley

Image © Timothy Hursley

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Construction Progress | March 2021. Video courtesy of Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts