The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, is planning a comprehensive revamp of the four-block-long plaza alongside its iconic Fifth Avenue facade in downtown Manhattan.

New fountains are to be installed closer to the attraction's front steps to replace ones built in the 1970s as part of the scheme, with the plaza to feature tree-shaded alles.

The renovation will be funded by museum trustee and philanthropist David H Koch, with the proposals drawn up by a team led by landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN.

Improved museum access and two new kiosks - to be operated by the museum and designed by Rick Mather Architects - also form part of the proposed exterior redevelopment.

Other firms involved with the project include Gorton and Associates (project management); L'Observatoire International (lighting); and Fluidity Design Consultants (water features).

Spatial Affairs Bureau (kiosk and site furnishings design) and Sam Schwartz Engineering (vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow plan) have also worked on the proposals.

Metropolitan Museum of Art director and chief executive officer Thomas P Campbell said: "The Metropolitan Museum's Fifth Avenue plaza is the public face of the Met.

"As such, it should mark the beginning of the extraordinary environment that awaits them inside, where our magnificent collections will take them across the globe and through centuries of history."

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveiled its American Wing following the completion of an extensive four-year refurbishment of the galleries of American art.

Details: www.metmuseum.org

Image: Rendering showing bird's-eye view of proposed Fifth Avenue plaza redesign - OLIN