Worcester Art Museum Higgins Library Relocation

The Higgins Education Wing is a 45,000-square-foot, Brutalist-style educational and office building that is part of the Worcester Art Museum campus. This project called for the relocation of the museum's library (used for research by the museum staff and community) into a two-level space formerly used as a sculpture studio. The upper level was a partial floor mezzanine open to the floor below and the lower level was below grade. The floor of the upper level mezzanine was extended to allow for a meeting space and additional programing, while the lower level contains high-density shelving units.

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FieLDworkshop worked with the museum to vet options for vertically circulating the materials between the upper and lower levels, looking at various space and cost implications as well as move-in logistics. Coordination of the envelope and HVAC design was also performed to meet the climate requirements for the library documents.