November 19, 2025

Award of Merit, Cultural/Worship: Corning Museum of Glass B Building Studio Expansion

The Corning Museum of Glass B Building Studio Expansion, which earned the Award of Merit in the 2025 East Best Projects, involved a challenging 36,000-sq-ft adaptive reuse of a historic 1950s-era industrial building.

The project successfully transformed the facility into a space for glassblowing artists and guests despite significant hurdles, including:

Extensive Abatement: Substantial asbestos and lead-based paint had to be removed.
Specialized Design: The interior required metal wall panels for heat shielding and specialized HVAC/fire systems to handle the extreme heat from furnaces and kilns.
Complex Logistics: Construction involved intricate coordination, such as performing after-hours remediation, and structurally extending columns through the roof to install a new mechanical penthouse while protecting an underlying live electrical substation with a large temporary tent.
The expansion ultimately provides new, state-of-the-art opportunities for artists and visitors to engage with glassmaking.

Full Article Here

Award of Merit, Cultural/Worship: Corning Museum of Glass B Building Studio Expansion