The World’s Best Architects and Designers Answer the PMA’s Call To Build A Landmark For The Future
August 11, 2022
Contact Graeme Kennedy, Creative Director and Director of Public Relations, by phone or email.
The Portland Museum of Art, together with the leading independent architect selection firm Dovetail Design Strategists, is thrilled to announce the four world-class design teams shortlisted for its Campus Unification + Expansion International Design Competition, which will result in a new landmark building in the heart of downtown Portland, Maine.
The four shortlisted teams (in alphabetical order) are:
Adjaye Associates with KMA, Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, Atelier Ten, and 2x4
LEVER Architecture with Unknown Studio, Chris Newell - Akomawt Educational Initiative, Openbox, Once-Future Office, Atelier Ten, and Studio Pacifica
MVRDV with STOSS, the Institute for Human Centered Design, Pentagram, Atelier Ten, and DVDL
Toshiko Mori Architect + Johnston Marklee + Preston Scott Cohen with Hargreaves Jones, Cross Cultural Community Services, WeShouldDoItAll, Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, and Arup
The unique competition, developed and led by Dovetail Design Strategists, attracted submissions from 104 teams representing 20 countries, including Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and more. In total, more than 250 firms participated as part of the 104 submitting teams, with 30% of all lead architecture firms founded or owned by people of color, and 16% of lead architecture firms founded or owned by women. DEAI values were a hallmark for the vast majority of teams, championing LGBTQIA2S+, racial, and gender diversity within their Senior Leadership.
“We are deeply moved by the diversity of experience and records of innovation represented in these submissions,” says Mark H.C. Bessire, the Judy and Leonard Lauder Director of the Portland Museum of Art. “Our aspirations as a cultural institution are far greater than simply ‘building a building’, and when we launched the competition, we were curious to see if our colleagues in the architectural world were equally interested in the paradigm shift we were imagining. Turns out, they were.”
The PMA’s Charles Shipman Payson Building in February, 2017. For more than 40 years, there have been no increases in galleries, visitor amenities, or capacity at the museum.
Art for All—the PMA’s mission and vision—along with a deep rooted commitment to Sustainability and Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusivity (DEAI), are cornerstones of The PMA Blueprint, the paradigmatic shift and overarching value proposition guiding the museum unification and expansion. Simply put, the PMA’s goals reflect a challenge to museums and cultural institutions to do more to create centers of belonging and foster social change.
These values and commitments are the basis for the distinctive design competition which launched on June 1, 2022. In keeping with the PMA’s mission, Stage I of the competition was an open call that challenged architects around the globe to form and lead a visionary, multi-disciplinary team with accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability experts, landscape architects, and graphic designers. Teams were required to demonstrate an understanding of the challenge, dedication to the museum’s ideals, relevant work, and to illustrate “In what ways can a museum’s architecture promote equity?”
ENSURING A LANDMARK FOR THE FUTURE
The four selected architect-led design teams were chosen by the museum for their creative and sensitive approach, their distinctive vision, and embodiment of the PMA’s values of courage, equity, service, sustainability, and trust. Finalists stood out for their collective experience with innovative campus, civic, and cultural projects, and for their deep consideration of the unique qualities of Portland, Maine, and surrounding communities. Throughout the shortlisted teams’ submissions, an understanding of the city and region’s history, rapid recent growth, and shifting demographics was evident.
“It was vital to us as members of the Selection Committee to ensure our unique character as a region was considered in the submissions,” shares PMA Board member Kyo Bannai. “Portland and Maine are international destinations and proudly welcome visitors from around the world, yet this is due to a recognizable, evolving, and renowned cultural landscape that must be elevated and sustained through this new landmark building and competition.”
Ultimately, the Stage II finalists stood out to the museum for their nuanced and emphatic understanding of the PMA’s goals around change, equity, and belonging.
“It’s been exciting to see the global architecture and design community’s enthusiasm and empathy for the PMA’s extraordinary vision that our competition has attracted,” shares Susanna Sirefman, founder and President of Dovetail Design Strategists, whose firm is running the competition on behalf of the PMA. “The selected teams’ submissions demonstrate a deep understanding of the museum’s mission to redefine the role of a museum within society and each shortlisted team has been thoughtfully constructed to reflect the PMA’s commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. The competition was designed to generate such partnerships and we eagerly anticipate seeing what this stellar shortlist develops in the next stage of the competition.”
ABOUT THE FINALIST TEAMS
Adjaye Associates with KMA, Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, Atelier Ten and 2x4 will be led by firm founder and principal Sir David Adjaye. Adjaye Associates has offices in Accra, London, and New York and recent Adjaye Associates projects include the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington DC; Museum of Contemporary Art Denver; and The Studio Museum in Harlem. The Adjaye Associates team brings extensive experience and cross-disciplinary design expertise in the execution of planet-positive museum spaces where meaningful connections are forged across diverse and growing communities.
LEVER Architecture with Unknown Studio, Chris Newell – Akomawt Educational Initiative, Openbox, Once-Future Office, Atelier Ten and Studio Pacifica will be led by firm principal Chandra Robinson. Based in Portland Oregon and Los Angeles, California, recent LEVER projects include the Meyer Memorial Trust Foundation Headquarters in Portland, Oregon; Adidas North American Headquarters in Portland, Oregon; and the Portland State University School of Art+Design in Portland, Oregon. For the Portland Museum of Art, LEVER is joined by a team that brings a unique perspective on equity, ecology, and expertise with arts institutions.
MVRDV with STOSS, IHCD, Pentagram, Atelier Ten and DVDL will be led by MVRDV co-founder and partner Winy Maas, along with partner Fokke Moerel., MVRDV projects include the Depot Boijmans van Beuningen, the world’s first fully accessible Art Depot, in Rotterdam, NL; Concordia Design Wrocław in Wrocław, Poland; and Book Mountain, a library that serves as a monument to the power and pleasure of reading, in Spijkernisse, Netherlands. The MVRDV team consists of some of the most respected figures in the fields of design, sustainability, and engagement with a sincere passion for landmark cultural projects.
Toshiko Mori Architect + Johnston Marklee + Preston Scott Cohen with Hargreaves Jones, Cross Cultural Community Services, WeShouldDoItAll, Buro Happold Consulting Engineers and Arup will be led by founding principal Toshiko Mori of New York City based Toshiko Mori Architect. The consortium’s respective projects include the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland, Maine; Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas; and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Amir Building in Tel Aviv, Israel. Comprised largely of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ designers and professionals, the consortium has put together a diverse team to allow for the cultivation of outcomes that support and foster intersectional communities.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Sparked by the current growth and diversification of the collection, record attendance and community feedback, and new opportunities to expand and unify its campus, the Portland Museum of Art stands ready to embark on its most ambitious and pioneering era yet.
The Portland Museum of Art Campus Unification + Expansion International Design Competition now officially enters Stage II, which will culminate in December when the winning team is announced. Between now and then, the teams will visit the PMA for site tours and to meet with stakeholders and staff, submit an interim report and present to the Jury this fall. Concept designs are due mid-fall, followed by a public display and comment period, where drawings, models and videos of the proposed designs will be on view and available to the public at the PMA Nov. 18 - Dec. 9, 2022. Teams will share public presentations outlining their design in early December. The winning design team will be selected by a Jury, comprised of community and museum stakeholders, global thought-leaders, and world-renowned architects and a winning team will be announced by the end of 2022. The Jury includes:
Kyo Bannai Board of Trustees
Mark H.C. Bessire Judy and Leonard Lauder Director
Milton Curry Della & Harry MacDonald Dean of the University of Southern California School of Architecture, Principal, Milton Curry ProjectStudio
Eileen Gillespie President, Board of Trustees, Visual Artist
Cyrus Hagge Chair, Board of Trustees, Owner, Project Management, Inc.
Jocelyn Handy Board of Trustees
Elizabeth Jabar Board of Trustees, Lawry Family Director of Civic Engagement and Partnerships, Colby College
Márcia Minter Board of Trustees, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Indigo Arts Alliance
Theresa Secord Board of Trustees, Executive Director at Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance
Jack Soley Board of Trustees, Partner, East Brown Cow
Monica von Schmalensee Partner, White Arkitekter
Sara Zewde Founding Principal, Studio Zewde, Assistant Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Susanna Sirefman, Competition Director and Jury Advisor, President, Dovetail Design Strategists
Upon selection of a winning team, an honorarium of $50,000 will be paid to each of the shortlisted teams who have met the PMA’s Design Competition Stage II requirements. The winning team’s concept design will serve as a starting point for discussion and a basis for the design but is not the final, finished campus unification and expansion. Once a winner has been identified, following the conclusion of the competition, the winning team will work to further refine their concept design to best reflect community feedback.
ABOUT DOVETAIL DESIGN STRATEGISTS, LLC
Dovetail Design Strategists is the leading independent architect selection firm in the United States servicing civic, cultural, educational institutions as well as developers looking for world-class architecture and design excellence. Dovetail’s founder, Susanna Sirefman, is trained as an architect and draws from extensive knowledge of the latest design and building trends and unmatched access to both emerging and acclaimed talent in the architecture field. Dovetail’s signature methodology and competitive selection process, tailored to each project, thoughtfully leads its clients to inspired architect shortlists and winning designs as they prepare for growth and enhanced visibility.
For more information, visit dovetailstrategists.com.
ABOUT THE PMA BLUEPRINT: BUILDING A LANDMARK FOR THE FUTURE
The PMA Blueprint: Building A Landmark For The Future is the Portland Museum of Art’s campus expansion and unification project. The project seeks to unify the museum’s downtown Portland, Maine campus through the construction of a new building at 142 Free Street. Through The PMA Blueprint—the museum’s first expansion in more than 40 years—the PMA will add 60,000 square feet of flexible, community, gallery, and public space, enabling 300,000–500,000 visitors per year. The need for new space is sparked by the current growth and diversification of the PMA’s collection, record attendance and community feedback, and new opportunities to ensure art and culture are at the heart of Maine’s future. The result is an arts institution that creates a paradigm shift, enabling the PMA to be a leader of the region, a keystone for its communities, and a catalyst for Maine’s economy.