MoMath

BKSK was the lead architect for the transformation of a 20,000 sf former merchandise showroom into one that showcases an entirely different product: mathematic principles. Opened in December 2012, the National Museum of Mathematics, also known as MoMath, is the only museum devoted to this subject in the US.

With its aim of being an intellectual catalyst and teaching resource, the museum’s high-tech interactive exhibits offer novel approaches to demonstrating math’s relevance in the everyday world. BKSK led the gut renovation and fit-out of the museum’s 26th Street space, including shepherding the Landmarks Preservation Commission approval process for the new storefronts (the museum also fronts 27th Street). BKSK transformed the two-level space from a raw, non-code compliant retail space into a crisp, high-tech container for interactive exhibits, which were custom-designed by the museum.

BKSK gave particular focus to maximizing the museum’s presence on Madison Square, scaling the entry so it could be seen across the park and allowing it to be fully open to the street to reveal the activity inside. This was critical to establishing an institutional presence on an otherwise traditional commercial block.