ANCHORAGE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND ART
The expansion of the museum included improvements to both the front and back of house, transforming the museum experience and providing additional space to collect and exhibit the region’s cultural treasures: the art, history and science of Alaska. A key aim for the design was also to enhance downtown Anchorage. The new four-storey building is located against the west face of the existing museum and spans the entire width of the urban plot. The form and placement establish a new façade directly facing downtown Anchorage. The pre-existing structure continues to function as part of the museum, working in tandem with the new building, the first two floors of which connect with those of the older, and the existing central atrium is linked to the new via corridors that form circulation loops on both levels. The ground-floor level, which includes among its visitor facilities a cafeteria and shop, is easily accessed by the local community, reinforcing the presence of the museum in the city. All permanent and temporary exhibitions take place on the upper floors. The new plaza in front occupies the remainder of the site, making a further connection between the museum and the city. The plaza is conceived as a garden containing formal and informal spaces, including a birch ‘forest’. Completed by Chris Jones, as Associate with Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture, prior to founding Groundswell.