Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest museums in the US and contains a world-class collection of European and American paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture. The landmark main building was originally opened in the 1928, and continued growth to the campus included the Perelman Building, the Rodin Museum and the two great eighteenth-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) developed a 10-year Fire Protection Master Plan to expand and renovate its landmark building. This included identifying fire protection systems required by code and need-based fire protection systems to suit PMA’s goals—all while preserving the iconic building features.

We assessed the likelihood of different fire scenarios and the potential impact of damage. Our comprehensive design services included automatic fire sprinkler systems, clean agent gaseous suppression systems, high-sensitivity smoke detection systems and emergency communication systems. Through our multifaceted approach, we were able to help PMA protect their staff, visitors and collections. We successfully met all fire protection code requirements along with the historic preservation goals, earning PMA a nomination for a Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award.