The world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture, the International Center of Photography (ICP) enlisted Gensler to realize its 20-year goal of unifying its museum and school in one location. Purpose-built as the cultural anchor of the Essex Crossing development, Gensler designed an innovative visitor journey that integrates ICP’s exhibitions, education programs, and public events. Situated in two distinct but adjoining structures (base building designed by SHoP Architects), Gensler worked in tandem with the developer on ICP’s behalf to make interventions that would integrate the core components of the institution under one roof – ICP’s museum, library, school, faculty, and administration team. The Center spans three levels with entrances on the ground floor that create an engaging and free-access space for museumgoers, members, students, and the community-at-large. The Essex Street entry resembles the perspective of a camera lens with a long hallway that serves as a white box for artists to showcase installations that are visible from the street. The ground floor program features a café and retail shop with curated offerings shown on a plywood system of bookshelves. On the second floor, a double-height gallery is filled with views into the neighborhood. An innovative and highly energy-efficient lighting system is programmed to adjust and adapt automatically in response to the changing natural light that fills the space. Within the galleries, the design team created visual consistency while giving the museum flexibility to modify the layout. The ceiling features metal mesh panels with track lighting and mechanical devices that are highly flexible and can accommodate an on-going program of repositioned gallery walls. The introduction of an innovative passage on the second floor bisects the major three-story stair and creates a seamless connection between the museum and ICP’s school. The removal of a floor slab created a centrally located research library that is open to the public and serves as the entry point to the school, and a space for its lecture series. A school that is progressive in its approach to the making of images, Gensler programmed the school with digital media labs, digitally equipped classrooms, darkrooms, a photo equipment room, and multiple shooting studios. On the third floor, an expansive multimedia gallery that doubles as an event space is connected to a catwalk gallery that is suspended along the perimeter above the double-height gallery. A minimalist material palette of concrete, black metal, light wood, and natural colors emphasizes the exhibitions on display.