Jeanne Gang Presents Reversing Obsolescence I IN FOCUS: RADICAL REPAIR

“I've been interested in trying to find new ways to describe intervening with old buildings,” said Jeanne Gang, who settled on the phrase “the art of architectural grafting”—also the title of her upcoming book. During her In Focus: Radical Repair presentation, the Chicago-based architect presented a series of her studio’s expansion and adaptive-reuse projects that demonstrate this “grafting” approach. One of their most recent, and most high-profile, is the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, a new wing for the historic American Museum of Natural History in New York. The extension is a dramatic departure from the Victorian Gothic-style of the original building, but cleverly relates to its scale and context. “This project grafts into the existing building… It's like a geological structure that holds it up,” Gang said. “We were inspired by these landscapes of discovery where forms are hollowed out, they're porous.” A key consideration in designing the new wing was its contents. Therefore, at the project’s onset, she found herself asking: “How do people feel about nature, and why is that important now?” The answers to these questions informed much of the building’s organic design. This presentation was part of In Focus: Radical Repair the live recording took place on September 28, 2023, and was the first event organized in the framework of the global cultural partnership between The World Around and Fondation Cartier. In Focus: Radical Repair was held in collaboration with Triennale Milano. To find out more about The World Around's programming or to get in touch, visit https://www.theworldaround.com #TWA2023 #RadicalRepair