Tsien, 61, AIA, and Williams, 68, FAIA, have been working together for more than 30 years. Williams hired Tsien in 1977; he was her first employer. Williams and Tsien formed a full partnership in 1986, five years after the practice moved into a ground-floor space on Central Park. "Within a very short period of time, I realized she was the best thing I could ever have," Williams says.
"We interview people because we want them in the studio," Tsien says. "They come understanding that."
The New Barnes Museum in Philadelphia.
Exterior of the Barnes Foundation building in Philadelphia.
A rendering of the new Barnes showing the new building's central court, with its hand-chiseled limestone slabs and a carpet of wood salvaged from the old Coney Island boardwalk.
Visitors to the Barnes pass through this lobby on their way to the exhibition spaces (at right).
Downstairs, a museum store, restrooms, and coat check branch off this lobby area, which also features a contemplative garden.
An outdoor gathering space allows flexibility for events at the museum.
Tod Williams and Billie Tsien designed the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
The atrium features a media wall.
It also features art installations.
The project focused on light, materials, color, and texture.
Visitors can sit alongside plant-covered walls.
The American Folk Art Museum, New York, by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.
