Once-Future Office

Portland Museum of Art Campus Expansion and Unification

Portland Museum of Art Campus Expansion and Unification

Flipping the narrative about who museums are for and what they can do

  • Wayfinding

Collaborators: LEVER Architecture, Simons Architects, Unknown Studio, Chris Newell-Akomawt Educational Initiative, Openbox, Atelier Ten, and Studio Pacifica | Expected completion 2026

IN PROGRESS

Our team, lead by LEVER Architecture, has been selected to design the Portland Museum of Art’s $100 million campus expansion and unification project. Once–Future will lead the signage and wayfinding visitor experience for this ambitious project in Portland, Maine.

“LEVER Architecture’s winning concept imagines the PMA campus unified through a stunning and sustainable building that connects directly to the PMA’s Postmodern-style Charles Shipman Payson Building (1983), Beaux-arts style Lorenzo De Medici Sweat Memorial Galleries (1911), Federalist-style McLellan House (1801), and Greek revival Clapp House (1832.)…

LEVER Architecture and their team of Simons Architects and Unknown Studio, Chris Newell-Akomawt Educational Initiative, Openbox, Once-Future Office, Atelier Ten, and Studio Pacifica were selected through a juried international design competition, designed, developed, and led by Dovetail Design Strategists. When launched in June 2022, the international design competition asked participants to assemble diverse and specialized teams to ensure accessibility, equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability were at the heart of their concepts and culture. The unique, two-stage competition attracted submissions from 104 teams representing 20 countries, including Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and more. In total, more than 250 firms participated as part of the 104 submitting teams, with 46% of all lead firm submissions owned or founded by people of color or women.”

More info here.

Portland Museum of Art Campus Expansion and Unification
once-future-office-Portland Museum of Art4
Portland Museum of Art Campus Expansion and Unification

Renderings: LEVER Architecture, Courtesy of Portland Museum of Art, Maine/Dovetail Design Strategists