Museum

The design of the MORUS Museum is rooted in its relationship with the garden it inhabits, balancing the thresholds between street, city, and nature. The architectural concept plays on these contrasts through the use of openings, placement of programs, and the alignment of built elements within the existing tree canopy.

Rather than imposing itself on the site, the museum is conceived as a light intervention that enhances the garden’s presence, allowing visitors to experience the space as both a cultural institution and an extension of the landscape.

Positioned along Avenue C, the museum’s fragmented facade and raised circulation maintain the permeability of the park while establishing a boundary between the public street and the more secluded garden. This design approach ensures that the green space remains visually and physically accessible, reinforcing the idea that the museum is not an enclosure but a continuation of the outdoor environment. The interplay of solid and void, enclosure and openness, allows the museum to function as both a landmark and a passageway.

The Museum of Reclaimed Space is an existing institution focused on the on-going history of activism in the Lower Manhattan region. This project served for designing a permanent home to the institution.