Lobby Redesign, Minneapolis Institute of Art

LOBBY REDESIGN, MINNEapolis INSTITUTE OF ART

Status: Completed 2015
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Client: Minneapolis Institute of Arts/Dogwood Coffee
Size: 9,000 SF

To initiate their mission to improve the visitor experience and strengthen access to the nationally renowned collections, the Minneapolis Institute of Art asked VJAA to work with the museum to reprogram and redesign their public spaces. The design team employed scenario planning to develop a series of forward-thinking design strategies to leverage the best aspects of the historic mid-century modern architecture to support a wide variety of activities and events, information and media programming, and amenities like food concessions and retail. The result was a series of new social spaces, amenities, and logistical support designed to revitalize the user experience. The modifications to the Kenzo Tange building (1974) included the redesign of the entry sequence, information and security control points, wayfinding strategies and graphics. New gathering spaces were added including informal lounges and a café.