The role of design in society is always changing and ever-diversifying. Galleries need to react to these changes, beyond posing new ways of seeing.
– Shohei Shigematsu

Around 10,000sq ft (930sq m) of new galleries, designed by OMA, will be unveiled on 6th June as part of a phased reopening of the Denver Art Museum's newly renovated, Gio Ponti-designed Martin Building.

The work is part of a project led by Machado Silvetti and Fentress Architects to update elements of the museum and to reunify its campus.

By horizontally bisecting the museum’s original Stanton Gallery, OMA were able to create three new rooms without expanding the building’s footprint.

The three new rooms are distinct, yet interconnected spaces, as was Ponti's original intention for the museum's spaces, and they feature a number of references to him.

Elsewhere, an open, central “piazza” provides access to rooms around its perimeter, while hinged walls are used to reconfigure spaces as required.

Explaining the approach taken, Shohei Shigematsu, partner at OMA, said: “The role of design in society is always changing and ever-diversifying. Galleries need to react to these changes, beyond posing new ways of seeing.

"The three new spaces are more than just galleries for consuming design. They each have their own spatial and programmatic identities but work collectively as a platform for discourse around the boundless contexts of design.”

Phased reopening for new Denver Art Museum facilities begins June 2020