The new and expanded Gregg Museum of Art & Design, designed by global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will as a hub for arts education and exhibition, opened to the public August 26 on the Raleigh campus of North Carolina State University.
The museum provides a welcoming new campus gateway with exhibition, learning, and event spaces designed for the North Carolina State University community and the public. Its design and landscape celebrate a cherished piece of NC State history by re-imagining the site of the historic chancellor’s residence and creating a cultural bridge between the University and the greater arts community.
Inspired by patchwork-style quilting patterns design represented in the Gregg Museum’s collection, the design of the combined 25,000 square foot museum was conceived as a collection of galleries cohesively stitched together to form a campus hub that inspires learning and creativity.
“For too long, the Gregg was a hidden jewel at North Carolina State, without a permanent home or a distinct identity,” said Kenneth Luker, a principal with Perkins&Will and the project’s design architect. “Now, the museum creates an iconic presence on campus, a destination to inspire bold ideas.”
The modern two-story addition includes programs dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of North Carolina State’s collection of 35,0000 art objects. The main level features a spacious lobby and reception area overlooking the interior galleries and exterior gardens. The lower level features a seminar room, informal study and conversation nooks, and collection storage spaces. The renovated Chancellor’s Residence, a cherished campus landmark, now houses instruction spaces, special collections, and museum administration offices.
“Preserving the integrity of the historic Chancellor’s home while transforming it to a new purpose was a high priority for the design team and the University,” said Derek Jones, of Perkins&Will, who led the Gregg Museum project team. “It was also essential to preserve the bucolic character of the building’s historic gardens to integrate the outdoor experience with the gallery experience.”
Improvements were carefully coordinated to protect the integrity of the historic home in its garden setting. The site design includes intentional connections not only to the galleries inside, but also to the University campus and other nearby arts-related institutions. Surface 678, a landscape architecture practice based in Durham, NC, is the project’s landscape design firm.
The project is projected to earn a LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
About the Gregg Museum
The Gregg Museum of Art and Design is NC State’s collecting art museum, and one of six programs of Arts NC State within the Division of Academic & Student Affairs. With more than 35,000 objects, the Gregg holds the largest and most diverse collection of art and artifacts of any university museum in the state, and uses those objects as tools for teaching and inspiration for students and faculty across all of NC State’s colleges.
Presenting six to eight exhibitions a year, the Gregg Museum has never charged admission and has always made its programs and collections accessible to everyone. With its new expansion and renovation, the museum will fulfill its full potential as a campus and community hub and incubator of bold and creative ideas.
