The Mennello Museum of American Art
The Mennello Museum of American Art | Orlando, Florida
The project is a 44,500 square foot expansion to the existing museum which is currently housed in a 15,000 square foot 1960’s structure. The sloping site stretches on an east-west direction and fronts a lake and includes numerous mature and historic oak trees in the Orlando Cultural District. The context includes various museums and theaters of different architectural styles.
The program components include four exhibit halls, education center, administration, auditorium, ballroom, food preparation area, multi-purpose/pre-function area, curatorial services and storage.
The design solution organizes the plan around a two story linear pre-function area oriented on the east-west direction facing the lake. The various program components attach to the pre-function space, including the old structure which is being re-clad and renovated to fit within the new facility. The pre-function area is designed as a multipurpose space flexible to serve as the main museum concourse, exhibit space, dining and gathering space. Three of the four exhibit areas are grouped together in order to allow flexibility for different size exhibits.