This renovation and addition consolidated Harvard’s three museums (the Fogg, the Busch-Reisinger, and the Arthur M. Sackler) and 4 research centers (Straus Center for Conservation, Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art, Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, and Harvard University Art Museums Archives) into a single, state-of-the-art facility. Together these components constitute a unique institution dedicated to acquisition, preservation, research, interpretation, and education. Together, the Museums are the sixth largest collection in the US, an extraordinarily diverse and large collection for single museum. The museums’ challenge was to manage the size of the collection, its diversity in display and organizing within the site constraints. Meeting the museum needs given a constrained site within an urban environment, historic sensitivity was one of the many projects’ accomplishments
Anser leadership managed all aspects of the Harvard Art Museums project, as well as enabling projects. The new facility, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, included 104,000 square feet of renovation to the existing Fogg Museum building and 100,000 square feet of new construction. The building’s existing exterior and current central courtyard were maintained, all mechanical systems were upgraded, and the existing Busch-Reisinger building was torn down. The expansion also included a 150-seat auditorium with a projection room and a smaller 100-seat lecture space. Exhibition space also increased, and a dedicated study center was created, facilitating accessibility to the collection for students, scholars, and the general public. The study center serves to enhance teaching and visual learning, enabling instructors from a variety of institutions and disciplines to incorporate close examination of artworks into their courses and promote exchanges among students, teachers, and curatorial staff.
Awards & Recommendations: LEED Gold certification, U.S. Green Building Council
