Key Features

• Some 165,000 square feet will be added to the VMFA's existing 380,000 square feet.

• The new Atrium, a triple-height "main street," will connect the new building with two existing wings and open onto a new library, museum shop, café, and galleries. Its innovative glass roof will deliver natural light to this central area and surrounding spaces

• A 40-foot-high glass wall overlooking the Boulevard will signal the purpose of the Museum from the outside by showcasing works of art and revealing public activity within.

• Glass Beacon, enclosing a stairwell on the north façade, will draw attention to the main entrance and glow softly at night.

• A new Entrance Plaza facing eastward will create a new Main Entrance to the Museum visible from the Boulevard.

• To provide expanded gallery space for the art collections and major exhibitions

• A new School Tour Entrance from the Entrance Plaza will accommodate more school groups and lead to children’s studios, resource rooms, and a gallery.

• At the heart of the Museum’s new campus, the E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden will replace 3.5 acres of current parking lot with a magnificent park including leisurely walkways, refreshing water features, flowers, and art.

• The Robins Sculpture Garden will partially cover a new, highly innovative Parking Deck tucked beneath a terraced, landscaped slope designed for recreation and viewing outdoor performances.