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PHOTO: BRIAN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY |
Architect: Michael Wychers, RA, LEED AP, Cornerstone Architects Inc.
Project: Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Center for Visual Arts
Owner: Interlochen Center for the Arts
Contractor: Hallmark Construction
Engineers: Trison Engineering, Nealis Engineering
Completed: September 2008
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Wychers: Recognizing the importance of visual arts in the broad field of artistic expression, the Interlochen Center for the Arts wanted to invest in a dynamic new facility to bring together all aspects of the Visual Arts program under one roof. The visual arts building needed to house faculty and student design studios, professional exhibition galleries, classrooms and archival facilities. We were challenged to enhance the collaborative aspects across the spectrum of visual arts – photography, ceramics, sculpture, print making and metalworking – by developing a design that would encourage the free exchange of ideas between students and faculty and to encourage impromptu collaboration across the disciplines.
Wychers: The design was developed in two distinct blocks: a studio wing and a public gallery. The mass of the windowless gallery fronts the newly developed Art Commons along the Frederick Stock pedestrian walkway – the primary pedestrian path bisecting the campus. This design element provides a counterpoint to the adjacent transparent entry lobby and three-story atrium. Together, both elements form an inviting backdrop to the Arts Common and establish flexible gathering spaces for all Visual Arts students and other academic departments as well.
Additionally, the sloped roofs work to open the studio interiors up to the natural northern light, a critical element for the artist. The entire third level drawing and painting studio can be left open or sectioned off into five individual spaces, further emphasizing the collaboration aspect of the program.
Wychers: Within the building, the “heart” of the program is anchored by a dramatic light-filled atrium. Student work is displayed prominently there and it also acts as a reception space for the exhibition gallery. This central volume is a flexible space capable of housing nearly any type of installation. Additionally, each space was situated to receive as much natural light as possible through careful site planning and building orientation. We were able to take full advantage of the natural setting and enforce its connection to the interior of the building by using a sloped roof on the upper floor to accommodate large north-facing clearstory windows and by using large expanses of glass on all levels. This LEED-certified design has established the Dow Center of Visual Arts as one of the leading high school art education facilities in the nation.
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