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WEISS/MANFREDI, the firm led by Marion Weiss, Graham Professor of Practice in Architecture, and Michael Manfredi has been unanimously selected as the lead architect for the upcoming expansion and transformation of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.
The firm’s design is intended to unite the trilogy of architecture, landscape, and community as reciprocal elements that work together. The concept is aligned with the museum’s goals for a dynamic, open, and inviting design that will create more spaces to present all forms of art, as well as new opportunities for immersive and creative experiences for audiences of all ages.
Described as a “connected tapestry,” the scheme re-establishes a front door for the museum, introduces an inviting events and learning lobby, and, through new gateways and paths, makes the perimeters more welcoming to the community. The events lobby will open out to a “Commons” space and a new photography center, allowing glimpses of the original building and landscape.
“We are deeply honored to work with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on this transformative project,” said Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi in a statement. “It is a rare and meaningful opportunity to reimagine the museum as a place where art, architecture, and landscape converge to reveal a place of discovery and delight, and we look forward to collaborating with the museum and community to create a more transparent and welcoming cultural campus.”
Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi (Photo Dana Anderson courtesy The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)
The international competition, announced in Spring of 2024, resulted in nearly 200 entries from architects in 30 countries on six continents. Six finalists, Kengo Kuma & Associates, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Selldorf Architects, Studio Gang, WEISS/MANFREDI, and WHY Architects, were chosen to present at the museum in late 2024 and invited to display their concepts—along with models and other images—in a free exhibition at the museum, with the public encouraged to offer comments.
Based in New York City, WEISS/MANFREDI has earned acclaim for projects including Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park, the Women’s Memorial at Arlington Cemetery, Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center, and the reimagining of Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. Current work includes the US Embassy in New Delhi, La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, and revitalizing the western side of Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts in New York City.
