Princeton University Art Museum | Adjaye Associates

“The new Princeton University Art Museum is conceived as a campus within the campus, a space of genuine inquiry where the exhibition of diverse practices, learning as a synthesis of knowledge and cross-cultural connections weave together into a singular experience that encompasses a multiplicity of ideas and peoples.”
David Adjaye

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The Princeton University Art Museum has a bold new home at the heart of campus, designed by Adjaye Associates with Cooper Robertson serving as Executive Architect. Conceived as a “campus within the campus,” the new museum doubles the size of its predecessor while remaining rooted in its historic site, reinforcing its central role in university life and its place as a cultural hub for the wider community. 

Centrally located between Elm Drive and Chapel Drive along McCosh Walk, the new 146,000 sq ft (13,565 sq m) three-story museum takes inspiration from Princeton’s architectural heritage. Keying into the permeability of the campus, the design breaks the mass into nine interconnected pavilions that resonate with the surrounding buildings. Organized around two main axes, north-south and east-west, the museum aligns with existing desire lines, ensuring it remains integrated with daily college life even when the galleries are closed. Two major “artwalks” traverse the ground floor, linking the building to existing campus circulation and allowing parts of the museum to remain active beyond gallery hours.

Galleries are arranged as a sequence of volumes interspersed with in-between spaces that frame views to college landmarks, the landscape, and outdoor sculpture. The massing responds to the site’s natural gradient, stepping down to create terraces, open- air courtyards, and outdoor gathering spaces for events ranging from 200 to 2,000 people. The landscape design preserves mature elms and beeches along McCosh Walk, relocating significant trees where possible, and introducing new green terraces that blend the museum and the topography. 

The design emphasizes transparency and engagement, with lens windows, light wells, and open circulation that connect art, landscape, and community. Material choices and façade treatments are tuned to catch light from all directions, animating the building throughout the day. The exterior combines alternating rough and polished stone aggregate panels with bronze and triple-glazed windows. The result is an articulated architecture that is textured, porous, and responsive. 

Inside, structural glulam beams and warm materials bring tactility and human scale to major spaces such as the Entrance Hall, Grand Stair Hall, and Grand Hall. Interior finishes of terrazzo and wood reflect the same care as the façade, grounding the visitor experience in both craft and permanence. 

The design is a response to an ambitious curatorial vision that prioritizes cultural contact, exchange, and storytelling. Ninety-five percent of the gallery space is located on a single level, bringing Princeton’s globe-spanning collection together in ways that challenge traditional hierarchies of display, disrupting conventional art historical narratives. The arrangement invites new encounters across geography, chronology, and culture. Visible storage, varied ceiling heights, and framed vistas allow visitors to glimpse works from circulation zones and from outside, dissolving the traditional threshold between museum and campus. 

The museum’s program supports teaching, research, and creative practice at all levels. The ground floor houses public and educational spaces with object- study classrooms, “creativity labs,” seminar rooms, and lecture halls, while upper levels contain galleries, conservation studios, offices, and a rooftop café with indoor and outdoor seating. The flexible Grand Hall hosts lectures, performances, and community gatherings in multiple configurations, extending the museum’s role as a site for dialogue and exchange. 

As Princeton’s President Christopher Eisgruber has noted, the new museum affirms art at the core of the campus experience while offering a welcoming gateway for all. The building joins nearly 30 major architectural landmarks across the University, yet is distinct in its ability to be simultaneously a center for scholarship, a civic forum, and a dynamic work of architecture. 

Sustainability

The new building achieves LEED Gold certification and aligns with Princeton University’s Sustainability Plan for net-zero carbon emissions by 2046. Sustainable technologies were embedded from the project’s inception, enabling performance goals that extend beyond current standards. A high-performance building envelope, heavy insulation, and triple-glazed “lenses” with structural thermal breaks provide strong thermal control, while moisture and humidity systems ensure optimal conservation conditions for the collection. The museum is also zoned for selective operation, allowing certain areas to remain open independently, minimizing energy use while keeping the building active throughout the day and into the evening.

DESIGN TEAM
Architect
Adjaye Associates

Architect of Record
Cooper Robertson

Structural Engineer
Silman

Landscape Architect
James Corner Field Operations

General Contractor
L F Driscoll

Mechanical/Electrical Engineer
Kohler Ronan

Civil Engineer
Nitsch Engineering

Lighting Consultant
Tillotson

Signage / Wayfinding Consultant
2x4

Facade
Heingtes

Sustainability
Vidaris

AV/IT
HMB