the whitney museum of american art
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The Whitney Museum of American Art
Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Cooper, Robertson & Partners, the 220,000
s.f. museum sits adjacent to the High Line in New York’s Meatpacking District at 99 Gansevoort
Street. Given the complexity of the design, Turner provided four years of preconstruction
services, including geothermal and environmental impact studies. Clad in enamel steel plate, the
new Whiney features six levels above grade and two below. The museum provides larger gallery
space, and additional areas for special exhibits and programs such as an 18,000 sf column-free
gallery, a 170-seat theater overlooking the Hudson River, and conservation laboratories in the
curatorial space.
Critical to the project’s success was Turner’s ability to overcome the aftermath of Super Storm
Sandy which flooded the site with six and half million gallons of seawater. After remediating
the site, Turner and WTM Engineers design-built a flood mitigation system which includes a 27-
foot-wide by 14-foot-tall flood gate weighing more than seven tons. This flood mitigation system
safeguarded the Whitney’s space programing requirements, and set a new standard in flood
protection and museum design.