Studio Museum in Harlem and Princeton University Art Museum: New Hubs for Contemporary Culture

The urban design excellence of Cooper Robertson and the cross-cultural sensitivity of Adjaye Associates have produced two important museum projects in New York and New Jersey: the new Studio Museum in Harlem, to open Saturday, November 15, and Princeton University Art Museum, inaugurated October 31, 2025.

The two projects reflect a similar vision of sharing and cross-fertilization, while prioritizing making art accessible and inclusive. This approach translated into a careful reading of context, close attention to the educational aspect of art, and architecture that is open and flexible, with exhibition spaces doubled in both buildings.

Studio Museum: Celebrating the life of Harlem

Studio Museum in Harlem is a New York cultural institution and a benchmark for artists of African and Afro-Latin descent locally and internationally.

The November 15 opening is being marked by a large Community Day, with inaugural exhibitions that explore over two centuries of art by people of African descent, pairing historic works with new site-specific commissions. Highlights will include a complete retrospective dedicated to Tom Lloyd, the artist who was the first to exhibit at the museum’s original location in September 1968.

The new architecture fully reflects both the museum’s character and mission: 

“The new building for the Studio Museum in Harlem pushes the museum classification to a new place with a fresh approach to the display and reception of art. Education spaces and artists’ studios are presented as a triptych frame that holds the center body of the composition, with the Museum offering respite from the bustling city while activating and celebrating the vibrancy of Harlem.”

Inspiration for the five-story, 7,600 m² building came from Harlem’s urban landscape, with its characteristic churches and historic brownstones. The sculptural concrete-and-glass façade reflects the architectural rhythm of the neighborhood with its alternating solids and voids and masonry-framed window bays. At street level, a double-height window wall blurs the threshold between the street and museum. A “reverse stoop” – a descending staircase – transforms the entry into a public plaza where art and community meet.

Inside, flexible spaces for exhibitions, studios, and artist residencies interweave organically, fostering the connection between creation and learning. The terrace, designed by Studio Zewde, provides panoramic views of the city as well as additional space for meeting, reflection, and participation. The project has given Harlem a vibrant, inclusive place that is deeply rooted in the local history.

Princeton University Art Museum: Art and Community in Dialogue

Founded in 1882 and among America’s oldest university museums, Princeton University Art Museum holds an eclectic collection of nearly 117,000 works, ranging from Greek, Roman, and Asian antiquities to contemporary art.

The new project strengthens the museum’s role as a place of exchange and belonging. Inaugurated October 31, 2025, the over 13,500 m² building is arranged as a series of nine interconnected pavilions, designed to welcome students, academics, and visitors approaching from all directions of the campus.

Designed according to principles of sustainability and openness, and including a centralized geothermal system, the project is a permeable and inclusive museum that makes culture a part of everyday university life. Punctuated with bronze and local stone, the sculpture-like precast concrete façade alternates rough and smooth surfaces, while referencing the warm tones of the surrounding buildings. Inside, glulam beams and bronze-framed windows create welcoming, bright, and dynamic spaces.

The new building doubles the amount of space available for exhibitions, conservation, research, study, and consulting the museum’s global collections. It also includes new social spaces and visitor amenities, including the Grand Hall, a flexible triple-height space for events and gatherings.

Arranged on a single level, the exhibition spaces break traditional hierarchies to encourage free and inclusive access. For example, two “artwalks,” which traverse the museum linking it to the campus’s pedestrian routes, make it possible to view the galleries outside of opening hours, fostering an ongoing dialogue with the community.

Museum director James Steward stresses the contact, cross-fertilization, and sharing aspects of the project:

 « The building’s architecture and the globe-spanning galleries within will invite visitors to see themselves as citizens of a broader set of communities, which in turn will, we hope, nurture a deeper sense of our shared humanity.»

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