International Center of Photography

New York, NY

Founded in 1974 by Cornell Capa to advance the legacy of “concerned photography,” the International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture. In 2020, ICP opened its new location at 79 Essex Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, uniting a museum, school, and public forum under one roof. Through its exhibitions, education programs, and artist-centered initiatives, ICP explores the social and political impact of the image while providing critical resources for creative practice, dialogue, and discovery.

Since moving into the newly constructed Essex Crossing building, ICP has identified key constraints: fixed gallery walls, inefficient lighting, and underperforming HVAC systems have limited programming potential and energy performance. After receiving a 2021 scoping grant for an energy audit, ICP is now embarking on a renovation that will transform its second- and third-floor gallery spaces—enhancing curatorial flexibility, improving visitor circulation, and modeling sustainable design in a state-of-the-art facility. The planned upgrades will expand the institution’s capacity to serve diverse artists and audiences while supporting ICP’s broader strategic priorities of climate responsibility and institutional resilience. The project is expected to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent, lower long-term operating costs, and allow ICP to reallocate resources toward exhibitions, education, and public engagement.

Milestones

• Replace fixed gallery walls with modular, movable partitions to reduce material waste

• Install high-efficiency LED lighting to cut electricity use by 7,556 kWh annually

• Apply solar film to east façade windows to reduce solar heat gain and cooling needs

• Optimize HVAC system for an estimated 9 kW/month reduction in energy use

• Expand curatorial capacity and improve public circulation across gallery levels

• Advance ICP’s strategic goal to integrate climate-forward practices into facility operations