The Isamu Noguchi Foundation

The Noguchi
Museum

Sage and Coombe completed a three-phase, publicly-funded project for the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, Queens. Asked to rethink and renovate the original two buildings occupied by the museum. Sage and Coombe was also responsible for the design of a new entry pavilion with a museum-standard acclimatized gallery above; the redesign and restoration of other gallery spaces, museum café, bookshop, multipurpose space, and sculpture storage. The project included a comprehensive reconfiguration of the museum’s building systems that required replacing the entire building envelope, introducing a building management system, and addressing code compliance, accessibility, dewatering, and structural stability.

Awards

Building of the Day, Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, NY, 2017
Open House New York, Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, NY, 2017
AIA Brooklyn/Queens Design Award, Noguchi Museum, Long Island City, NY, 2016

For all renovations and upgrades, the character and spirit of the museum, originally envisioned by sculptor Isamu Noguchi himself, were carefully considered. The most substantial collection of Noguchi’s work in the world, the museum, like his sculpture, provides Long Island City with a focus on modernity and serenity.

The scope of the design followed the spirit of the place, as a raw and sublimely simple environment with an inward focus on the sculpture and the garden.

The entire building was effectively rebuilt: 900 piles were driven into the cellar to reclaim the meeting and storage area. All areas underwent complete demolition and reinvention, replacing acoustic tile ceilings and gas heaters with exposed fire-treated wood joists and ductwork concealed within the walls.

In the end, every space was redesigned, and rather than closing during the winter months, the Museum has remained open all year round.

The final phase focused on the Museum’s historic sculpture garden, providing updated lighting, irrigation, and landscaping systems to the enclosed space. The garden wall and fence were also updated to improve structural stability.