This project is an art conservation studio located in a former light industrial building in Manhattan.

While the image of Portrait of Otto van Veen at His easel is not the subject of conservation by the studio, the painting conveys the studio’s familial atmosphere among its accomplished colleagues.

The studio specializes in works of prominent artists from the early and late 20th-century. As the works of art are priceless and inherently fragile, the climatic environment within the studio must be carefully balanced. When a change in the mechanical system serving the space required extensive reconfiguring and replacement, ACHA was engaged to provide architectural services in coordinating and administering the construction.

As the studio remained active during the construction period, ACHA staggered the work into protected sections of the studio. ACHA’s experience working in museum environments with their staff, artists and art handlers proved essential, facilitating the coordination among the conservationists, building managers, system operators, engineers, and general and sub-contractors.