Founded in 1982 by artist and architect Kyong Park, Storefront for Art and Architecture (Storefront) advances innovative and critical ideas that contribute to an understanding and appreciation of the built environment and public life. Through exhibitions, events, and other public programming, Storefront provides alternative platforms for dialogue and collaboration across disciplinary, geographic, and ideological boundaries. Since the late 1980s Storefront has occupied a triangular ground floor space on Kenmare Street in lower Manhattan, at the border of SoHo and Chinatown. The non-profit organization generates dialogue across geographic, ideological, and disciplinary boundaries through exhibitions, public talks, competitions, and publications.

A Scoping Grant will support Storefront as it assesses and enhances the energy efficiency of its Kenmare Street gallery. A key focus of this project is the façade, a public artwork created by Vito Acconci and Steven Holl thirty years ago, which features multiple swinging panels that open the gallery to the street, reflecting Storefront’s mission to blur boundaries between interior and exterior, public and private, formal and informal. Despite its importance, the façade is not insulated or properly sealed, resulting in significant energy waste and climate control challenges. Storefront is committed to preserving and upgrading the façade, engaging with architectural preservation, artistic intent, and climate change. This effort aims to serve as a model for other organizations and projects. The project includes hiring consultants to conduct an environmental audit, tracking energy usage, loss, and waste, particularly from the façade and the twenty-year-old HVAC system.