Of Porosity & Planar Compositions

Compiled by Savitha Hira

Renderings: Courtesy Steven Holl Architects

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Ar. Steven Holl does it again. His architectural thought of ‘addition via subtraction’ is all set to carve out the new visual arts building at the University of Iowa, where he will juxtapose the existing horizontally porous and planar structure with a volumetrically composed vertical complement...

Picking up the original campus grid, and forming the space of a new Art Meadow together with Art Building West (the first one that Ar. Steven Holl designed in 2006 for Iowa University), the new Visual Arts facility for the University of Iowa's School of Art and Art History is positioned as a rectilinear volume – 200ft x 180ft x 68ft - carved out for seven light courts, interconnecting floors and programs, ushering in ample light and natural ventilation into the building.  

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While the 2006 Arts Building West is horizontally porous and of planar composition, the new building will be vertically porous and volumetrically composed with the aim to facilitate maximum interaction between all departments of the school via its social circulation spaces. 

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The new facility will provide 126,000 sq. ft. of loft-like space for the departments of ceramics, sculpture, metals, photography, print making and 3D multimedia. It will also include graduate student studios, faculty and staff studios and offices, and gallery space.

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According to the architects, in a school of the arts today, interconnection and crossover are of fundamental importance; and present-day digital techniques open up increased interconnection between all the arts. Taking the thought forward, interconnection between all departments is facilitated in the vertical carving out of large open floor plates. Students can see ongoing activities across these openings and be encouraged to interact and meet. Further interconnection is facilitated by glass partitions along the studio walls adjacent to internal circulation.

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Natural light is inserted into the deep floor plates via the "multiple centres of light". Seven vertical cut-outs encourage interaction between all four levels. These spaces of glass are characterized by a language of shifted layers, where one floor plate slides past another. This geometry creates multiple balconies, providing outdoor meeting spaces and informal exterior working spaces. Even the stairs are shaped to encourage meeting, interaction and discussion; with some stopping at generous landings with tables and chairs, whilst others open onto lounge spaces with sofas.

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The original grid of the campus breaks up at the river, becoming organic as it hits the limestone bluff. The Arts West building reflects this irregular geometry in fuzzy edges. The new building now picks up the campus grid again in its simple plan, and defines the new campus space of the "arts meadow."

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Integrating material resonance and ecological innovation, the building will be heated and cooled by ‘active’ slabs, with radiant tubing integrated in ‘bubble-deck’ concrete floors - the first such installation in the United States. Each elevation is developed in a curtain wall maximizing energy performance, with sunshades on the south and high performance glass on the north. Operable windows allow for scenic campus views and natural ventilation. 

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The building is scheduled for a May 2016 opening.