The building, which responds to the historical industrial environment with a conditional marine appearance, is located between the initial section of the High Line flyover park and the bank of the Hudson River: it faces the water with a 9-storey part, and descends to the park with open terraced steps. The main entrance of the museum with a spacious square in front of it is also facing the High Line. This public space continues with the lobby and a ticket-free showroom on the ground floor; there is also a "must-have" restaurant and museum shop.
Above, there are other common premises for a large museum: an auditorium with 170 seats and an educational center, a gallery for film screenings, video art and performances, a hall for temporary exhibitions with an area of 1,675 m2 - the largest space of this type in New York without columns, two tiers of permanent exhibitions, restoration workshops and a research center for works made on paper, a library, and at the very top - a cafe with an open terrace.
Terraces and panoramic windows, including those in the auditorium, use the building's favorable position: spectacular views of the Manhattan downtown, the High Line and the water surface will help visitors dispel the "museum fatigue" that may well overtake them in such a large institution as Whitney. A total of 20,500 m2 in the new building, of which 4600 m2 are occupied by exhibition halls; however, open spaces also take up a lot: 1200 m2.
A special topic is the resilience of the new Whitney to possible flooding: after Hurricane Sandy, flood protection became a priority for New York. In case of a natural disaster, a reinforced waterproof foundation, sluice gates for the cargo entrance and service entrance located on the river side, a mobile flood protection system, a high-power drainage pump with the possibility of an autonomous emergency power supply, etc. are provided.
Critics point out that the building, with its blue-gray steel and low-iron glass facades, is not attractive, but on closer inspection, it is quite capable of appealing. The most notable of the reviews was
Michael Kimmelman's text in the New York Times - not because of the traditionally high quality of the text, but thanks to the effective and informative multimedia presentation of the material, which has already been attributed to the achievements of digital journalism.
There is another hero in this story: the old Whitney building, built by Marcel Breuer in 1966. Since then, the museum's collection has grown from 2,000 to over 20,000 pieces, so the need to move from there was obvious. But there is no need to worry about the masterpiece of modernism: Whitney signed an agreement with the Metropolitan Museum, and in the next 8 years it will show contemporary art exhibitions in the building. The building is now called The Met Breuer - with a clear emphasis on the name of the architect, that is, you can expect a respectful attitude towards the monument. The Met will open its new venue in spring 2016.
