relocation of lower east side gallery to tribeca.
1 – stacked sequence of spaces; from the gallery office to the main exhibition space. (image credit: eric petschek)
2 – golden metal shelves and expanded steel sheets screen the office space. (image credit: eric petschek)
3 – from the street, introducing the audience to distinct contexts for viewing art. (image credit: eric petschek)
4 – a generous space for viewing and working with art. (image credit: eric petschek)
5 – thresholds interconnect intimate and collective spaces. (image credit: eric petschek)
6 – excavation around the existing building structure in the basement defines places for meeting, working and handling art. (image credit: eric petschek)
nineteen years after opening their first exhibition space, in new york city on broadway along the edge of tribeca, canada gallery relocated their most recent lower eastside operation to 60 lispenard street. the new gallery and is integral to a renewed soho/tribeca gallery scene, and increases for display and storage areas.
canada gallery presents a context for art where the interface with the audience is an underlying motivation. in response to this ambition the design of the lispenard space creates generous spaces for viewing and working with art. the gallery operates on the ground floor and in the basement of a landmarked industrial building converted to rent-controlled loft apartments in the 1970s. on the sidewalk level, the sequence of the program starts with the gallery office at the cast iron store front. layered beyond the office, the exhibition spaces increase in size beginning with the viewing room, followed by the project room, then the main gallery space.
the ceilings of the gallery spaces were designed to conceal all exposed plumbing in the original loft-like environment. linear surface mounted led fixtures are laid out to emphasize the scale and geometry of each gallery space. the same fixtures are used in the basement to maintain a continuity for viewing and photographing artwork.
the concrete terrain of the basement is defined by the structural footings of the building. these footings create raised perimeter platforms and paths that step down into the communal kitchen and art handling areas. the original rear yard windows have been restored to allow natural light into the spaces below grade.