The new home of the Tampa Museum of Art, designed by Stanley Saitowitz, is slated to open on February 6, 2010. Image: Courtesy Stanley Saitowitz/ Natoma Architects, Inc. Extra Large Image

Tampa · 2010.0120
The new home for the Tampa Museum of Art (rendered above) is scheduled to open on February 6 in downtown Tampa, Florida. Located in a park on the Hillsborough River, the building was designed by Stanley Saitowitz/ Natoma Architects, Inc. of San Francisco, California. The programmed spaces are set on a transparent base, creating the illusion that the structure floats above the river, while also affording protection in a floodplain.

The facade of the three-story, 66,000-square-foot (6,100-square-meter) structure, named the Cornelia Corbett Center, features perforated aluminum panels that create a moiré-like pattern in sunlight. Embedded in two layers of the panels are programmable LED lights.

A three-story atrium lobby opens to outdoor space under a cantilevered overhang. The galleries, on the second floor, feature translucent ceilings, high-polish concrete and stone-impregnated floors. The interiors are designed to be bright and reflective to reduce artificial lighting use. The third floor is designated for open-plan offices. Other spaces include a museum store and cafe, lecture rooms, catering facilities, and storage space.

Skanska USA Building, Inc. is serving as construction manager, in association with Horus Construction Services, Inc.

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