Vertical Development Starts on $200M New Miami Art Museum

By Georgiana Mihaila, Associate Editor

With its structural foundation now complete, the new Miami Art Museum at Museum Park will soon begin vertical development. The $200 million project, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, has reached an important milestone—passing on to the next stage of development—that will employ as many as 400 on-site workers.

The new Miami Art Museum will encompass 200,000 square feet of programmable space, out of which 120,000 square feet of interior space (three times more than the size of the Museum’s current location). Eighty-thousand square feet of exterior space are designed to accommodate the display of artwork, educational activities, relaxation and dining. An educational complex will also be present in the building, featuring a library, auditorium, classrooms and workshop space. Plans also include a café and a museum store.

Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the new Museum Park home for the MAM is partly sponsored by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The project benefits from the support of Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners.

Currently located in downtown Miami, the MAM dedicates itself to collecting and exhibiting international art of the 20th and 21st centuries, with an emphasis on the cultures of the Atlantic Rim. The new Herzog & de Meuron-designed facility will provide room to showcase growing collections and expand exhibition space in order to accommodate more world-class exhibitions for Miami-Dade County.

Over $37 million will be spent on local construction labor, generating a positive impact on the local economy. A study conducted by Miami Economics Associates estimates that the improved Miami Art Museum will account for a $12 million annual economic impact.