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Evening exterior view - Outdoor art installation Ailanthus by Stefano Arienti (right) Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The newly constructed wing for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop,opens to the public today with a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony accompanied by the City of Bostons Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Designed to preserve the 1902 historic building, the 70,000 square-foot addition will offer purpose-built spaces for concerts, exhibitions and classes, along with enhanced visitor amenities. The museum will also be kicking off an inaugural season of exhibitions, performances and events that will highlight the buildings wide range of programming.

This new wing is an extraordinarily elegant workshop, a bustling counterpoint to the historic buildings serenity. Here, the thinking and the work of the Museum is performed, so that the Palace, which had been put to uses for which it was not equipped, can once again give visitors the experience Isabella Stewart Gardner intended: a personal confrontation with art, said Anne Hawley, Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Museum.

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Natural light floods the interior, creating an open and welcoming entrance for visitors as they enjoy uninterrupted views of the original building and gardens. The building features four volumes clad in green pre-patinated copper and red brick that float above the transparent first floor.

Evening exterior view of the new Special Exhibition Gallery in the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Living Room visitor orientation space sits below. Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Key features include a 300-seat performance hall, an adjustable height special exhibition gallery, a new restaurant, gift shop, landscape classroom, expanded outdoor garden spaces, two artist apartments, conservation labs and a hands on art workshop.

View from a balcony of Calderwood Hall in the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is seeking LEED gold certification by the United States Green Building Council. Primary components of the sustainable design are a geothermal well system, daylight harvesting, water efficient landscaping techniques, and the use of local and regional materials, which reduces the environmental impact associated with transport.

A view of the new central grand staircase in the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

View our previous coverage on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum addition here on ArchDaily.

A view of the new Living Room visitor orientation space in the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Reference: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum