AOS Architects Wins a Merit Award for their Philadelphia Contemporary Floating Gallery Project

Congratulations to Atkin Olshin Schade Architects on winning a Merit Award for their Philadelphia Contemporary Floating Gallery Project.

Philadelphia Contemporary is a non-profit arts organization that presents visual and performance art throughout the city. Currently a nomadic institution, Philadelphia Contemporary looks to establish a permanent home. As currently envisioned, this new facility will take the form of a floating art gallery on the Delaware River, moored between the Cherry and Race Street piers at the foot of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

The Gallery responds to the River’s tidal flow and other uniquesite constraints through its innovative design. The 15,000 SF two-story structure will be built on a 60’ x 200’ barge that accommodates a lobby, guest services, exhibit galleries, performance spaces, a studio, a classroom, an artists’ workshop, museum administrator offices, and a café. Rooftop solar panels will allow the facility to have a net-zero energy consumption on an annual basis.

The Gallery’s immediate access to the river serves as an intellectual anchor for curatorial programs and allows local artists to use water as a medium.

Check out the short video highlighting this project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTJ2SCjqyQg