The Museum of Arts and Design serves as a center for the collection, preservation, study, and display of contemporary hand-made objects. Having outgrown its former location on 53rd Street in Manhattan, the Museum hired Allied Works Architecture to renovate an existing building at 2 Columbus Circle. Allied Works hired Handel Architects to assist in all phases of design and design documentation, and the Museum officially moved into the new space in 2008.

The central challenge of the project was to serve the needs and aspirations of the new institution while maintaining the presence of the existing Edward Durell Stone building. The design features a series of cuts through the structural concrete shell of the building, admitting light and views to the gallery spaces. These cuts organize the circulation and guide the visitors through the sequence of exhibit spaces while reconnecting the museum with Columbus Circle, Central Park and the city beyond.