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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Michael C. Rockefeller Wing - Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

New York, NY
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Michael C. Rockefeller Wing: 20250620 CTC 9173 Edit Copy Min
Client
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Size
40,000 SF
A reimagining of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing—home to The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collections of the Arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas and Oceania—transforms the visitor experience with a new gallery design and innovative engineering. 

Completed in collaboration with design architect WHY Architecture, the project renovated the galleries and reorganized the collections to emphasize cross-cultural connections and adjacencies to nearby galleries within the larger museum, for which the wing serves as both a gallery and major circulation route.

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The project also replaced 12,000 SF of aging, sloped glass curtain wall with a new state-of-the-art glazing system. Designed by BBB in collaboration with Arup, this new exterior envelope offers views out to Central Park while controlling condensation and natural daylight and greatly improving energy efficiency. Additional renovations included back-of-house spaces, offices, mechanical upgrades, and on-site storage during construction.

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Project Credits

BBB Partner-in-Charge
John H. Beyer
BBB Team
Henry P. Miller
Noerah F. Alvi
Rafael Dario Lara
Nicky Rackard
Gladysa Vega
Michael Wetstone
Design Architect
WHY Architecture
Structural Engineer
Thornton Tomasetti
MEP Engineer
Kohler Ronan
Facade Engineer, Lighting Design
Arup
Casework Fabricator
Goppion
Construction Manager
AECOM Tishman

Awards & Press

Artforum
Home Renovation
Wallpaper
The great American museum boom
Art of the Ancestors
Arts of Africa at The Met Fifth Avenue
AIA New York
In the News: June 4, 2025
Hyperallergic
A Village’s Living Artwork Goes On Display at The Met
Finestre sull’Arte
New York, Met reopens Rockefeller Wing: a journey through the arts of Africa, Ancient Americas and Oceania
Architect's Newspaper
Five Continents, One Wing
Time Out
First look: This historic wing of The Met just got a major update
City Life Org
The Met to Host Daylong Opening Festival for the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing on Saturday, May 31
Architect's Newspaper
The Met’s Michael C. Rockefeller Wing to open in May 2025