Construction Tour: Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo

About this event

This program consists of a construction tour of the new home of the Lipsey Architecture Center (LACB) in Buffalo, NY. The project incorporates an historic structure with a bold new addition to create a museum and visitor hub celebrating Buffalo and Western New York’s architectural legacy. The LACB is slated to open in the summer of 2027. This tour will be led by Paris Roselli, LACB Executive Director. The center is currently located inside the Towers building of the former Buffalo Psychiatric Center (designed by Henry Hobson Richardson), now home to the Richardson Hotel and the heart of the Richardson Olmsted Campus. The buildings and grounds are designated as a National Historic Landmark. The new LACB includes the adaptive reuse of a ca. 1875 kitchen building designed by Richardson with a new addition designed by the internationally recognized firm, Boston-based Höweler + Yoon Architecture. Founded in 2007 with a lead gift from late Buffalo News publisher Stanford Lipsey and his wife Judi, the non-profit LACB aims to drive cultural tourism in Buffalo’s “Museum District”, alongside neighboring institutions like the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The pavilion designed by Höweler + Yoon Architecture has scalloped glass panels which are intended as an “optical device” that mirrors and completes the adaptively re-used, circa-1875 kitchen building it adjoins. According to H+Y founding principal Eric Höweler: “The curving glass face of the new LACB pavilion will create a ‘mirage-like’ effect with a unique system of 18’ tall scalloped glass panels that are designed to accentuate Richardson’s historic masonry structure.” In addition to learning about the history of the site and Richardson’s masterpiece, participants will explore how the design team restored the original kitchen building and – with the new addition – transformed it into a modern exhibit and gathering space. They will learn about the challenges of merging new construction with historic structures, addressing the concept design, site design, and construction detailing. Participants will discover the role of architecture centers in celebrating and memorializing built history. Specifically, participants will learn how LACB will serve as a hub for the exploration of Buffalo’s extensive architectural legacy.

AIA Members & Students $5 | Non Members $15 | Submitted for CEUs (1.5)

Register Here: https://pci.jotform.com/form/263003533075953