Houston has a new arts space designed by Schaum/Shieh
Houston’s latest art space is the Transart Foundation’s multidisciplinary venue for exhibitions, events and performances designed by Schaum/Shieh. Located opposite the The Menil Collection, the white building is a sculptural new addition to the walkable neighbourhood.
Smooth stucco clads the exterior of the timber structure, shielding the interior gallery and office space from solar gain and sweeping down like a curtain pulled at the corners to create gaps for windows. ‘We were pursuing a sense of overall lightness; specifically, we were interested in how the geometry and material finish might make the building feel like it could blow away in the wind, ruffle like fabric, or disperse and scatter like cards’, say the architects of the exterior.
A large ‘living room’ space bisected by a stairway occupies the ground floor. The space is largely unprescribed, open-ended and flexible for the display of the often experimental work that Transart Foundation exhibits, addressing the intersection of art and anthropology. However, the stairway also acts as a divider separating the front space which is full of light, from the back space where light can easily be controlled for the installation of new media and performances which require controlled light.
The staircase opens up a library space with storage for books developed into the design. It leads up to a salon on the first floor that overlooks the exhibition space, and on the floor above, an office and roof deck. There is also a cylindrical steel-and-acrylic elevator at the back of the space.
Custom furniture and design details across the space conceived by the architects show an artistic interrogation of material and architecture: ‘We introduced some playful moments into the otherwise taut plan. There is a sink lathed out of a tree salvaged from Hurricane Harvey; a sculpted, cavelike nook tucked into the wall off the seminar area; and a galvanised steel beam is used as a bathroom countertop.’
As well as the gallery building, a second already existing building on the site holds a photography studio and living quarters for visiting artists and scholars. The architects wrapped this form in grey cementitious planks and installed a metal roof to update the design.
Architects Rosalyne Shieh and Troy Schaum founded Schaum/Shieh in 2010 with an interest in exploring the connection between art, architecture and the city. Elsewhere in Texas, they are working on a masterplan for the Judd Foundation and a restoration of the Chamberlain Building for the Chinati Foundation, both in Marfa.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Schaum/Shieh website and the Transart Foundation website
ADDRESS
Transart Foundation
1412 West Alabama Street
Houston
TX 77019
US
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Aarke has created the ultimate collection for caffeine lovers, the Aarke Coffee System
The new Aarke Coffee System consists of three elegant components, part of the Swedish company’s ongoing quest to reshape the world of appliances
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The breathtaking runway sets of S/S 2025, from beanbag animals to a twisted living room
Wallpaper* picks the best runway sets and show spaces of fashion month, which featured Bottega Veneta’s beanbag menagerie, opulence at Saint Laurent, and artist collaborations at Acne Studios and Burberry
By Jack Moss Published
-
Apple’s Alan Dye and Molly Anderson discuss the design of Apple Watch Series 10
In addition to the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple has also introduced a new black titanium finish for the premium Apple Watch Ultra 2; here’s what’s new
By Nick Compton Published
-
‘Gas Tank City’, a new monograph by Andrew Holmes, is a photorealist eye on the American West
‘Gas Tank City’ chronicles the artist’s journey across truck-stop America, creating meticulous drawings of fleeting moments
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Intimacy, violence and the uncanny: Joanna Piotrowska in Philadelphia
Artist and photographer Joanna Piotrowska stages surreal scenes at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania
By Hannah Silver Published
-
First look: Sphere’s new exterior artwork draws on a need for human connection
Wallpaper* talks to Tom Hingston about his latest large-scale project – designing for the Exosphere
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Marc Hom reframes traditional portraiture in Cooperstown, NY
‘Marc Hom: Re-Framed’ has taken over the grounds of the Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, planting Samuel L Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and more ‘personalities of the world’ into the landscape
By Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou Published
-
Alexander May, founder of LA studio Sized, on the joys of creative polymathy
Creative director Alexander May tells us of the multidisciplinary approach that drives his LA studio Sized and its offspring, a 5,000 sq ft event space and an exhibition series
By Hannah Silver Published
-
50 of America’s top creatives, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh
Photographed exclusively for Wallpaper* by Inez & Vinoodh, we present a portfolio of 50 creatives driving the current discourse on American culture and its dynamic evolution
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Nona Faustine confronts the past in New York
Artist Nona Faustine reframes New York's colonial past in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum
By Hannah Silver Published
-
How the west won: Ivan McClellan is amplifying the intrepid beauty of Black cowboy culture
In his new book, 'Eight Seconds: Black Cowboy Culture', Ivan McClellan draws us into the world of Black rodeo. Wallpaper* meets the photographer ahead of his Juneteenth Rodeo
By Tracy Kawalik Published