From the Architect's Perspective

In 1999, the Brandywine Conservancy's Board of Trustees commissioned James R. Grieves, the much-praised architect of the Brandywine River Museum and other previous Conservancy renovation projects, to conduct an analysis of space needs. Based on his findings, Grieves and the architectural firm of Grieves, Worrall, Wright and O'Hatnick (GWWO) developed designs to both expand and renovate existing facilities. His exciting and practical solutions have been adopted by the Board of Trustees as the basis for a building program. Following are comments by Grieves regarding the Conservancy's "Building for a New Century" campaign:

"At the request of the Brandywine Conservancy's Board of Trustees, we began this project by conducting a series of in-depth interviews and discussions to assess the work habits, needs and desires of the staff. Combining this information with more than thirty years of experience with the institution, we created a new program of spaces to address the next ten years of growth and service.

During this process, it became clear that after years of growth and acquisition, the areas dedicated to maintenance and administration were greatly lacking in space and functionality. It was decided that both the maintenance building and the membership building would be replaced with larger, more functional facilities. The design intent was for each of the new buildings to be respectful of the surroundings and blend with the contextual precedent of the Brandywine River Valley. This was achieved through two very different design approaches. The new membership building was designed to mimic the key components of the original structure, while the new maintenance building was designed to blend with the agricultural architecture of the region.

The museum was also clearly in need of additional storage and gallery spaces, but because of the restrictive site within the flood plain, it seemed that the only option for expansion was at the end of the entry courtyard. Programmatically, this was ideal; however, the Conservancy was very concerned that an addition in this location would destroy the view of the surroundings from the entry gate.

We continued working with the Conservancy to create an addition that disappeared into the landscape. The resulting design includes a screen of mirrored surfaces that reflect the sky and the surrounding trees and mask the entire addition. The shape of the structure curves away from view, so that the addition fades into its surroundings with no discernable edge."