The Penn Museum is pleased to work with several partners as we transform our building and galleries.
Gluckman Tang Architects, a multi-faceted architecture firm based in New York City, will raise the public profile of the Museum through historically sensitive interventions and improvements to the signature spaces of its Harrison and Coxe Wings, which opened to the public in 1915 and 1926. At the centerpiece of their design are improvements to the visitor experience with renovations to the Main Entrance Hall and a new gallery that is immediately visible to visitors on entry; renovations, including air-conditioning, to the Harrison Auditorium and its lobby; and new stairs and elevators that provide full accessibility to the renovated wings. Later stages will include renovation of the three Guastavino-tiled vaulted galleries, which display the Egyptian and Asian collections.
Over nearly 40 years, Gluckman Tang has grown from a studio focused on art installations and galleries to an internationally-recognized firm with an emphasis on cultural, institutional, and commercial projects. Gluckman Tang’s notable historic interventions include the Staten Island Museum, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Downtown, Museo Picasso Málaga, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Locally, the firm’s thoughtful approach is evident in the 2007 renovation and expansion of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Perelman Building. Other recent and current projects include the Syracuse University College of Law, the Korman Center at Drexel University, and four major museums in China.
HSC Builders and Construction Managers, specialists in managing the construction of technical facilities and logistically complex projects, is renovating the Penn Museum to provide air conditioning, ADA accessibility improvements, and structural reinforcement to increase the load capacity of the floor above the current Egypt (Sphinx) Gallery. The renovation also includes climate-controlled environments in the storage areas for artifacts, new windows, reconfiguration of the loading dock, and new elevators. A construction team with diverse experience in historic renovations, HVAC retrofitting, climate control, urban renovation of occupied space, structural reinforcement, and intricate phasing has been assigned to achieve the goals of the Penn Museum.
HSC Builders serves clients in niche segments of healthcare, science & technology, higher education, historic, museums, and energy and infrastructure. Located in Exton, PA, HSC Builders has served clients in the Mid-Atlantic region throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware since 1988.
Haley Sharpe Design, of Leicester, U.K., an international leader in integrated exhibition development and design, partnered with the Penn Museum to design the three-gallery, 6,000-square-foot Middle East Galleries, opened in April 2018.
HSD is now designing the new Egypt & Nubia Galleries.
Recent HSD projects have included the Stonehenge Visitor Center in Wiltshire, United Kingdom; the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center on Maryland’s Eastern Shore; and a series of museums and cultural centers, part of the Sharjah Heritage Development project in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.