To those who love the three-dimensional arts of sculpture and ceramics, nothing is more engaging and inspiring than to see an idea begin to assume physical dimensions in its journey of realization.

Such is the thrill of a massing plan for those whose dreams have a foundation, walls, and a roof. This is the real beginning, the physical synthesis of key criteria and user needs that eventually will form the basis for architects' competitive proposals to create and execute the final design.

The current museum facility is approximately 90,000 square feet, 26,000 of which houses eleven galleries for the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. The rest of the building is home to museum offices, the Museum Shop, the Mayer Print Center , and the Kohler Art Library, as well as university art history department offices, lecture halls, and auditoria.

The planned expansion, which will be occupied solely by the Chazen Museum of Art, will add 60,000 square feet. Approximately 20,000 square feet will be new gallery space, reflecting the museum's highest priority—collecting and making art accessible to students and the public. The remaining 40,000 square feet of new space will serve a variety of uses, from a new auditorium to study rooms.

Inspired by the visionary work of Pelli Associates, the principal architects of Madison 's Overture Center project, the museum chose that firm to create the massing plan. While the final architect of the Chazen Museum of Art expansion will be determined through a competitive proposal process, working with a firm of Pelli's stature for the massing plan ensured that the form and function of the project would site on a solid conceptual foundation.

The plan seeks to create a new facility that at once honors the architectural tradition of the existing museum and realizes the design potential that an expansion of this magnitude represents. As Cesar Pelli puts it, “I believe this is an incredible opportunity to transform what is already a delightful university art gallery into a major museum of art. As we developed the plan, we were quite excited at the possibility this project represents to bring the institution into the twenty-first century. The eventual solution has an opportunity to reflect not just the change in sensibilities in architecture, but also the latest thinking on installations and museum design.”

The museum will keep its gallery space in the current facility, with the aim of preserving its strong presence and warm feel. The interior and exterior aesthetics of the existing building will not change—the wonderful qualities of the Harry Weese-designed galleries will not be disrupted.

The expanded Chazen Museum—the current building, the new one, and the overhead walkway that joins them—will create an invitation to enjoy the arts that will be difficult to resist for those passing or approaching from the south. A green area in front of the museum on both sides of Murray Street will create a depth of perspective that will enhance architectural impact. Murray Street will be closed to vehicular traffic to create a pedestrian mall that will eventually become part of the East Campus Mall, a long-term plan to revitalize the eastern edge of the UW campus. This area between the two structures and the green space facing University Avenue will create an ideal area for sculpture, in effect both creating an outdoor gallery for the Chazen and contributing to a positive image for the university.

A design detail critical to the outdoor gallery function was the creating of a service route from Lake Street . The importance of finding a solution for delivery access that did not involve the Murray Street mall cannot be overestimated in terms of its impact on the beauty and function of the museum grounds. “Had we had to resort to the mall for truck traffic or vehicular traffic of any,” said Museum Director Russell Panczenko, “the possibility of the whole idea of a public plaza will sculpture would have been greatly reduced.”