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Architects: SHoP Architects
- Year: 2017
Text description provided by the architects. SITE Santa Fe, a leading contemporary art institution in the Southwest, was in need of a comprehensive renovation and expansion. Our team set out to enliven the institution’s repurposed former beer warehouse with new galleries and gathering spaces inside and out in addition to modernizing environmental systems, providing staff with new administrative and educational facilities, and streamlining back-of-house art handling.
The character of the updated space was of particular concern for our client, given the organization’s innovative approach to the arts. The folded, perforated aluminum system defining the exterior of the building was carefully calibrated to be appropriate both for the site’s immediate context in an old railyard, as well as in contrast to the traditional construction methods and effects that prevail in the surrounding cityscape.
By engaging fully with the administration and staff, we developed a strategy to meet their needs, while also considering the demands of their expanding audience. The building’s new, exuberant façade signals to the community and visitors SITE’s iconic presence as it moves forward.
