norton museum of art unveils plans for foster + partners' first public garden

having already unveiled plans to extend florida’s norton museum of art, foster + partners has now revealed the landscaping that will surround the re-designed institution. the public garden — foster’s first to date — seeks to reinforce the relationship between the building and its context, serving as a new social space for the community. populated with native flora, the sub-tropical garden will feature 11 sculptures donated by philanthropists pamela and robert b. goergen.

all images courtesy of foster + partners

‘from the beginning, we have conceived of the norton expansion as an opportunity to create a new norton — one that embraces its original design, while also creating a more welcoming and inviting campus,’ explains lord norman foster. ‘in our masterplan, it was important for us to define the norton’s sense of place — in this case florida’s lush subtropics. to do so, we conceptualized a museum within a garden. we are creating verdant spaces for art and programming that extends the museum beyond its walls.’

the restaurant presents sweeping garden views

the norton museum of art’s landscape design echos the masterplan’s spatial concept — a series of art deco-inspired pavilions surrounding a central courtyard — by creating a series of ‘garden rooms’. each area will be formed by native trees and plantings, and will feature thematic groupings of sculptures, including works by keith haring, george rickey, and mark di suervo. the 6.3-acre campus will also include shaded walkways and a great lawn, which will provide an open-air venue for various live performances, film screenings, and events. meanwhile, the glass and steel colonnade in the family gallery will provide expansive views of the garden from inside the museum.

the museum’s foyer serves as a welcoming threshold

the inspiration behind foster’s ‘museum within a garden’ concept stems from a banyan tree, which was planted when the institution first opened in 1941 and will anchor the museum’s new entrance on south dixie highway. the expansion’s roofline curves around its canopy and shades the inviting entrance plaza, which ushers visitors into the museum and onto the campus. in total, 82 mature trees will be planted before the museum reopens to the public in february 2019.

foster + partners has also designed the institution’s education center

‘the norton is grateful to donors pamela and robert b. goergen, who have given the museum 11 transformative sculptures, and have also been instrumental in allowing the museum to achieve an important goal of this expansion, creating — as lord foster envisioned — a museum in a garden,’ says norton executive director hope alswang. ‘their generosity allows for expanded programming, provides more space for displaying art, and creates a beautiful gathering place for the community.’ see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

the museum reopens to the public in february 2019

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