波特兰艺术博物馆园区统一与扩建项目丨美国波特兰丨LEVER

Portland Museum of Art

Project Info

LOCATION

Portland, Maine

SCALE

60,000 sf

PROGRAM

Museum, galleries, theater, restaurant, maker/studio space, classrooms, rooftop sculpture park, community event space, administration offices, meeting rooms, gift shop

COMPLETION

2027 (in design)

LEVER is currently working with the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) on their Campus Unification and Expansion, which began in 2022 with an international design competition led by

Dovetail Design Strategists

. The competition sought to build a “landmark for the future”—a new kind of museum that reflects PMA’s bold vision to create an equitable and sustainable future for all. LEVER’s winning concept design was selected from four proposals that included MVRDV, Adjaye Associates, and the team of Toshiko Mori + Johnston Marklee + Preston Scott Cohen.

Learn more about the design competition here.

PMA's ambitious goals for the expansion will physically harness their commitment to creating a paradigm shift for museums around the globe through innovative and future-forward architecture that will renew, revitalize, and redefine a museum’s role in society.

View from Free Street

LEVER's concept for PMA's expansion "flips the narrative" of traditional museum design to create a new kind of museum that fosters an equitable built environment by centering the marginalized, inviting honest storytelling, and empowering the community to reclaim the institution. The new PMA campus will be a place where all the arts and all the people belong together.

Starting with the materials that form the regional landscape is what connects us to a place but also to communities beyond urban centers. Selecting durable materials that complement PMA's existing Payson building, are sustainably and responsibly sourced, and promote economic growth for the region, are central to our design approach. Maine is 89% forestland and is an ideal location for rural economic revitalization through the sustainable production of mass timber. The new museum wing will feature natural and regional materials including Maine-sourced timber, granite, and terra cotta.

A major goal for the project is to create a museum that genuinely reflects the diverse people of the region, who will see themselves and their cultures represented in the new design. Similar to PMA’s multi-vocal curatorial approach, the project includes an in-depth community engagement process which seeks out voices that have been historically excluded and welcomes them into the design conversation. We have partnered with

Openbox

and

Akomawt Educational Initiative

to guide an inclusive, culturally-responsive engagement process with PMA's community.

Images courtesy of PMA and Openbox

The theater is a flexible space with operable layouts for a variety of events and performances

Payson Great Hall Gallery

View from Free Street

Competition design exhibition gallery at PMA

Exhibition model assembly at PMA

Exhibition model base

Principal Chandra Robinson presenting LEVER's concept design to the public

Early concept model

Concept model variations

Larger scale concept model

Building the exhibition model in LEVER's shop