RAMSA Will Cut Griffin MSI Arrival Times From 25 Minutes to Seven

RAMSA has unveiled a Welcome Hall for Chicago's Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry that cuts visitor arrival times from as long as 25 minutes to as few as four. The design reopens the building's historic North Portico as a year-round entrance and adds a glazed volume connecting the portico directly to the exhibition spaces.

The current entrance route tells the story. Visitors pass through largely subterranean spaces, climb more than 100 stairs and take two elevators to reach the galleries. According to the project team, that journey takes approximately 18 to 25 minutes. The proposed entrance establishes a direct route at ground level, with no stairs or elevators along the main path, reducing arrival time to four to seven minutes.

What does the new hall change?

RAMSA starts from the building's original identity as the Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, when the North Portico served as an entrance in direct relation to the surrounding landscape and public spaces. The Welcome Hall reads as an extension of the North Lawn. It stays below the historic plinth across much of its length, and its curved form and glazed walls preserve views toward the portico and its Ionic columns.

The proposal limits physical alterations to the limestone and granite historic façade. It also includes Science Gardens, accessible lawns, restrooms and other amenities available without museum admission. For practitioners, that is the notable move: parts of the museum grounds become publicly accessible independent of the exhibition spaces.

What happens at the South Portico?

The North Portico intervention is one of two entrance projects planned for the museum. The historic South Portico is scheduled to reopen as an additional accessible entrance in winter 2027, providing access to the ground level of the central pavilion. That design introduces a glazed curtain wall at the existing staircase while retaining the relationship between the historic cheek walls and façade columns. As with the northern entrance, removed stone elements will be preserved for potential future restoration.

The South Portico project also includes a redesigned South Court that incorporates the museum's Coal Mine exhibit, which opened in 1933.

How does the plan fit the master plan?

Both projects follow RAMSA's completion of a master plan for Griffin MSI in 2024. Developed over the course of a year, the plan assessed more than 400,000 square feet of exhibition and public space, reviewing existing uses and identifying opportunities to adapt underutilized areas of the historic building and improve its connections to the surrounding campus.

The Griffin MSI scheme sits within a wider run of museum projects that pair existing buildings with new additions. In Rotterdam, Mecanoo has released images of its renovation of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, comprising a new building, the restoration of the existing museum and a redesign of its gardens. In Ghent, Design Museum Gent reopened after a four-year renovation and expansion by Carmody Groarke, ATAMA and RE-ST, joining restored historic buildings with a new wing. In Riehen, Switzerland, the Fondation Beyeler is expanding its Renzo Piano-designed museum with three buildings by Peter Zumthor plus restoration and enlargement of the surrounding park, with full opening scheduled for January 15, 2027 following a preview phase from September 26, 2026.

With the South Portico set for winter 2027, the two entrances together will determine how a 400,000-square-foot landmark meets its campus — and its public — at ground level.