VERO BEACH, FLA.- The Vero Beach Museum of Art announced the appointment of international design firm Allied Works to lead the expansion and renovation project which will focus on building resiliency and future growth needs for the VBMA.

After working with architect selection advisor David Meckel and completing a nine-month extensive search that entailed a highly competitive line-up of 13 national architectural firms and an eventual short-list of four, VBMA has selected Allied Works for the project.

"This was a comprehensive process for which the Museum formed a seven-member Architectural Committee from our Board of Trustees. We took great lengths to review the exceptional proposals put forward by the invited architects and are thrilled to have unanimously selected Allied Works as our partner on this journey," said Emily Sherwood, Chair of the VBMA Board of Trustees.

The design team will be led by Allied Works founder Brad Cloepfil and Principals Chelsea Grassinger and Gabe Smith. “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with everyone at VBMA and bring this project to fruition,” said Grassinger.

"Brad, Chelsea, Gabe and their team fully embraced the complexities and opportunities of our project, which involves opening up to a lush park environment while simultaneously building out a more resilient campus. Allied Works has the right experience – including extensive experience working on museums in high humidity coastal areas -- and the creative design thinking to address these challenges,” said VBMA Executive Director/CEO Brady Roberts.

Known for its quietly powerful museum architecture in service of art, Allied Works will begin the design process with an intensive research and exploration phase this summer. Responding to the immense population growth in Florida, the firm will track the trajectory of the Museum, and envision a platform for expansion over time. Inspiration and influence for the eventual design will come from the landscape as the team employs a holistic resiliency strategy that extends well beyond the Museum’s façade.

Anticipated completion for the VBMA’s expansion and renovation is 2026.