Shelburne Museum in Vermont, US is set to open a new Centre for Art and Education that will transform the museum from seasonal to year-round operation.

For the first time, the public will have year-round access to the museum's collections.

The eco-friendly centre will create a modern, flexible venue for exhibitions of art and design featuring loaned works and touring exhibitions.

Designed by Boston-based Ann Beha Architects, the centre will include 5,000 sq ft (465sq m) of new and flexible gallery space for changing special exhibitions.

A new 130-seat lecture and performance space will also feature marking the museum's first dedicated venue for lectures, films and presentations. It will also accommodate educational programs for youth and adult audiences.

In addition, 2,000 sq ft (186sq m) of flexible classroom space will be available offering modern classroom space for year-round programs in art making, art history and cultural history for adults and children. It is hoped that this space will enhance the museum's educational mission by allowing educators and students access to the collections for the full academic year.

The new centre is part of a US$15m (€11.5m, £9.8m) campaign for Shelburne Museum that includes plans to install 7,000 ft (2133m) of fibre optic cable throughout the 39-building campus to enable a new communications network to handle the functions of fire detection, security, environmental controls, voice and digital communication.