The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has unveiled the first renderings of its upcoming $550-million renovation for the modern and contemporary art wing. Designed by Frida Escobedo, the first female architect to design a wing in the museum’s 154-year history, the project will span 126,000 square feet.

Named the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing, in honor of the couple who donated $125 million to the project, the renovation is slated to begin in 2026 and be completed by 2030.

Max Hollein, the Met’s director and chief executive, praised Escobedo’s design, calling it “extraordinarily inspired” and “deeply thoughtful.” He noted that the design reflects a blend of architectural history, artistic expression, and a deep appreciation for the museum’s mission and visitors.

Escobedo’s redesign, located in the southwest corner of the museum’s Central Park complex, will not expand the museum’s footprint but will increase exhibition space by nearly 50%. The revamped wing will feature a total of 71,000 square feet of gallery space.

The design features a stepped, angular facade with limestone latticework inspired by the “celosía,” a traditional Mexican breeze wall with historical roots in Spanish, Middle Eastern, and African architecture. The wing will also have 18,500 square feet of outdoor terraces on the fourth and fifth floors.

According to Escobedo’s studio, the wing will include a three-story base supporting recessed fourth and fifth floors. The fourth floor will have a combination of galleries and a terrace for commissioned contemporary artworks, while the fifth floor will host temporary exhibitions, additional terraces, and spaces for reflection and community gathering, all offering views of Central Park and New York City.

The Met has already secured $550 million in private donations for the project. The team behind the renovation includes Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, and engineering firms Kohler Ronan and Thornton Tomasetti. The building will feature environmentally friendly elements, such as controlled daylight, stormwater retention, a green roof, and improved thermal performance, and it aims to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Artist and Met trustee Jordan Casteel expressed excitement over Escobedo’s design, which she says continues the museum’s legacy of creativity and provides a platform for diverse artistic voices and perspectives.

The Tang Wing renovation is the largest capital project at the Met, but it is not the only one. The museum is also in the final stages of a $70-million upgrade to its Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, which houses African, ancient American, and Oceanic art galleries. Additionally, plans are in place to convert a retail space into gallery space for the Costume Institute and the museum recently completed a rehang of its American Wing to mark its centennial.