Northern Michigan University, Art %26 Design Center Addition
Marquette, MichiganThe 62,500 SF addition to NMU's Art and Design School creates a signature building for the campus, increasing flexibility within the studio spaces, consolidating and sharing resources among user groups, and maximizing efficiencies through careful adjacency arrangements. The addition further provides a direct physical connection to the existing Art and Design North Building. The major component and most highly articulated element to the addition is a public museum housing a 3,000 SF formal gallery for changing exhibitions and a 2,000 SF permanent collection gallery. The addition takes the form of two bars separated by a glass spine of circulation. The east bar is dominated by classroom spaces, while the west bar is occupied by offices, critique rooms and various support and service functions. The west bar is further broken down into segments allowing glass intervals to pull light into the buildling from the west as well as allowing views to the new courtyard framed by the forest beyond.