Glassell School of Art

The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston is being extended by two building complexes designed by Steven Holl.

The first construction phase, the so-called “Glassell School of Art”, is a wedge-shaped building with a walk-on roof landscape. The primary structure and load-bearing outer shell is made up of large-scale precast concrete panels with cast-in-place concrete beams, which give the building a sculptural appearance.

Large scale translucent glazing elements with sizes up to max. 6.00m x 6.00m are located between the precast concrete panels.
The facade system is made of prefabricated custom aluminium elements composed of one or more sections per opening. Other wall types include a laarge skylight; vestibules, canopies and a number of operable vents.

All joints and connections have been executed with minimum dimensions to satisfy Steven Holl’s vision of material and form.