AS THE MET IN NEW YORK UNDERTAKES A SLATE OF RENOVATIONS, WE MEET THE FOUR ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS LEADING THE CHANGE.

For a universal museum to fulfil its mandate, it needs to grow,” says Max Hollein, director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, reflecting on the realities of evolving collections and shifting curatorial approaches.

- SAM COCHRAN

That spirit of change has long been built into The Met’s Fifth Avenue home: an architectural palimpsest dating to 1879, its original Gothic Revival edifice absorbed by additions to create the country’s most-visited museum.

Today, Hollein is shepherding The Met’s next chapter with a slate of blockbuster renovation projects, among them updates to existing galleries and the design of a new wing—all within the museum’s current footprint. “We are not moving one more inch into Central Park,” he notes.

Innovating alongside him are a group of firms poised for superstardom. “These are people at the top of their game,” Hollein notes of that roster. “A legacy institution like The Met is also involved in the architectural voices of the time.” Earlier this year, AD joined those design talents on a tour of the museum to preview big changes to come. Meet the visionaries now leaving their mark....

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