The Corning Museum of Glass contemporary gallery and restored glass workshop and ampitheater are situated in the heart of the museum campus in Corning, New York. The architecture of the new gallery building and restored glass workshop and ampitheater honor Corning’s history of exhibiting and making glass art, and clarify the ensemble of existing campus buildings. The contemporary serpentine gallery walls direct visitors around the large works of glass exhibited on the ground. The structural roof beams’ integrated light-filtering system channels natural light, illuminating the artwork from above instead of casting it into silhouette with horizontal lighting. The gallery façade is composed of a single layer of laminated glass, which transitions from white rain screen to translucent fritted vision window to give views onto the campus green.

The Glass Factory restoration comprises a state-of-the-art glassblowing workshop and demonstration ampitheater. The insertion does not touch the existing building, maintaining a distinction between old and new. The façade’s new cladding preserves the historic form, while its black tone juxtaposes the adjacent gallery building. The surface level parking lot was relocated and replaced with a one-acre campus green, which provides an outdoor gathering place for the public with views of the new gallery and glass workshop and theater.