Steven Holl's Glassell School of Art completes

Exterior view of the Glassell School Of Art West Elevation photographed from across the road with 2 big trees i view and blurred cars driving past

Steven Holl Architects complete the Glassell School of Art as part of the wider and ongoing Houston Museum of Fine Art campus redevelopment. Photography: Richard Barnes

(Image credit: Richard Barnes)

By Ellie Stathaki

last updated 12 August 2022

The completion of Steven Holl’s Glassell School of Art in Houston, Texas, signals the delivery of the first phase of the American city’s major redevelopment of its Museum of Fine Art campus; it is also a key piece in the puzzle that will form an ‘essential center for Houston’s diverse and active art community’, says the school’s director Joseph Havel.

The Glassell is the USA’s only museum-affiliated art school, recieving up to post-graduate students. The L-shaped structure features Holl’s signature abstract geometric shapes and light-play, as well as demonstrating the architect’s expertise in the typology; Steven Holl Architects are behind a wealth of education and art buildings across the country, including the Lewis Arts Complex at Princeton University (2017); and the Visual Arts Building at the University of Iowa (2016).

The building spans some 93,000 sq ft and features a range of naturally lit studios for adults and children. An accessible roof terrace, art galleries, a 75-seat auditorium, and a public coffee bar, as well as a striking centrepiece of a staircase with broad steps that can be used as a gathering space and a sort of ‘forum’, ensure this is a true public building that can be enjoyed by all.

‘Our building for the Glassell School is a key part of the overall strategy to shape the public spaces for the entire campus’, says Steven Holl. ‘The alternating concrete and glass panels create a porosity between indoors and out, and the gathering spaces – including the building’s walkable, sloping roof – provide a civic experience for students and the public alike, with spectacular views of the neighborhood and the city skyline.’

The new art building opened together with the complex’s The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza designed by Deborah Nevins & Associates in collaboration with Nevins & Benito Landscape Architecture, D.P.C. The entire campus redevelopment project – the country’s largest cultural project currently under construction – is set to reach full completion in 2020.

External view of the Glassell School of Art with all lights on internally photographed at night — This is also is the USA's only museum-affiliated art school. *Photography: Richard Barnes*

External view of the Glassell School of Art photographed during the day — The structure features Holl's signature abstract geometric shapes and light-play. *Photography: Richard Barnes*

An open space on with square brick flooring and a platform with 3 black structures — The building opened together with the campus' The Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza. *Photography: Richard Barnes*

Interior view of the Glassell school of Art featuring a dramatic set of wide steps with people standing and sitting on the staircase — A dramatic set of wide steps act as a 'forum' for the school. *Photography: Richard Barnes*

A studio workspace with wood rectangular tables and chairs (people sitting on the chairs). An teacher at the front of the class with a white board behind her — The project includes studio workspaces for both adults and children. *Photography: Richard Barnes*

INFORMATION

For more information visit the website of Steven Holl Architects

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).

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