Location Houston
Client The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Architect Steven Holl Architects
Associate Architect Kendall/Heaton Associates
Design Team Steven Holl, FAIA; Chris McVoy; Olaf Schmidt; Yiqing Zhao, Assoc. AIA; Rychiee Espinosa; Filipe Taboada
Contractor McCarthy Building Companies
Project Manager Legends
Structural Engineers Guy Nordenson & Associates; Cardno Haynes Whaley
Civil Engineer Walter P. Moore & Associates
MEP Engineer ICOR Associates
Climate Engineer Transsolar
Geotechnical Engineer Professional
Services Industries A/V Consultant Jaffeholden Technologies
Acoustical Consultant Jaffeholden Technologies
LEED and Commissioning Consultant Loring Consulting Engineers
Lighting Consultant L’Observatoire International
Facade Consultant Knippers Helbig
Vertical Transporation Consultant Persohn/Hahn Associates
Landscape Architect Nevins & Benito Landscape Architecture
The new Glassell School of Art serves as the teaching institute of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The three-story, 93,765-sf structure provides state-of-the-art studios, exhibition spaces, and active social spaces. The L-shaped building defines two edges of the Brown Foundation Plaza. Its sloped roofline, anchored by a stepped amphitheater, extends the plaza up and along the roof to a garden above. The exterior is constructed from 178 unique precast concrete panels that alternate with 170 glass panes to provide natural light to all studios and classrooms. A three-story, broad-stepped forum sits in the center of the school’s interior. The building includes radiant heating and cooling, as well as a publicly accessible green roof.