Location Houston
Client Surpik Angelini
Architect SCHAUM/SHIEH
Design Team Giorgio Angelini; Tucker Douglas; Ane Gonzales; Nathan Keibler; Kevin Lin; Anika Schwa
Contractor Welch Builders and Brokers
Structural Engineer Zia Engineering
Lighting Designer Lighting Associates
A/V Consultant RC Automations
The Transart Foundation for Art and Anthropology is a multifaceted platform for the creative activities of a curator and artist in Houston. The building houses visitors, art, exhibitions, and performances, and hosts conversations. The project is designed around a 3,000-sf gallery punctuated in the middle by a circulation core that integrates stairs and a library. This expands into a second-floor salon that is open to the space below, dividing the gallery into two adjacent exhibition spaces. A cylindrical steel and acrylic elevator is positioned in the core for alternative access. The third floor contains an office and a roof deck. The exterior facade exhibits a tectonic language through its smooth white stucco panels, between which gaps and seams form swooping windows. The curved fenestration of the envelope provides controlled indirect light for exhibitions while protecting the interior from direct solar gain. The modest scale of the building preserves an open relationship to the street and reinforces the walkability of the neighborhood.