In Norfolk, Va., the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio, an educational facility for glassmaking, will open a new addition this summer. That will be followed by a renovation of the existing building scheduled for completion this winter.
The design by Work Program Architects clads the studio expansion in terracotta panels and brick veneer, referencing glass art’s firing process. A new transparent museum front welcomes visitors from all sides. It also creates a connection between the museum and the city’s downtown arts neighborhood, the NEON District. Visitors will be guided to NEON by a path decorated with a series of wayfinding glass “breadcrumbs.”
As soon as they enter, visitors will see the furnaces of the theater-style performance hot shop, which allows artists to work with glass in its molten state. A focal point, the hot shop will display the art of glassblowing. The glassmaking studios (including flat, flame, cold, and mold shops), wood and metal shops, and classrooms will offer artists space to hone their craft, while also allowing visitors to explore glass art.
A roof terrace offers views of the Chrysler Museum, the Hague, and the Elizabeth River. The project also includes an event space, retail area, and catering kitchen.
In light of the area’s recurring flooding events, the new addition has been raised four feet above the existing glass studio to keep it above the floodplain.
The design’s other coastal resilience strategies include native, salt-tolerant plantings; cisterns to collect rainwater for summer irrigation; onsite water storage; new trees and protection of existing trees to absorb water; and landscaped areas that act as a green sponge.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Chrysler Museum of Art
Design architect and architect of record: Work Program Architects
Structural engineer: Speight Marshall Francis
Landscape architects: Stromberg Garrigan & Associates, WPL
Civil engineer: Timmons Group
PME engineer: Altieri Sebor Wieber
Theater/AV/acoustics: NV5
Geotechnical: GET Solutions, Terracon
Envelope: REI Engineers
Contractor: Hourigan
![Rendering courtesy Work Program Architects](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CMGS_Exterior22-08-10_Rendering_Sloped-Walk-edit-2000.png)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CMGS_Exterior22-08-10_Rendering_Axon-from-East-2000.png)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CMGS_Exterior22-08-10_Rendering_Duke-at-Grace-2000.png)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CMGS_Exterior22-08-10_Rendering_Duke-at-Brambleton-2000.png)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Entry-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Reception-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Gift-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Ramp-to-Existing-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Existing-Hot-Shop-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Outdoor-Hot-Shop-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Lobby-toward-Theater-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Lobby-Toward-Reception-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Theater-Entrance-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Theater-looking-North-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Theater-Balcony-looking-North-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Theater-Balcony-Looking-South-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Balcony-Toward-Theater-1280.jpg)
![Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking](/sites/default/files/inline-images/21-10-28_Balcony-toward-Reception-1280.jpg)
Related Stories
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Biloxi’s new Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum is like a ship in a bottle
Nine years after the Museum of Maritime and Seafood Industry in Biloxi, Miss., was damaged by Hurricane Katrina’s 30-foot tidal surge, the museum reopened its doors in a brand new, H3-designed building.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 16, 2014
Shigeru Ban’s design wins Tainan Museum of Fine Arts competition
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has won an international competition organized by The Tainan Museum of Art in Taiwan. Ban's design features cascading volumes with an auditorium, classrooms, and exhibition galleries.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 15, 2014
Argentina reveals plans for Latin America’s tallest structure
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces the winning design by MRA+A Álvarez | Bernabó | Sabatini for the capital's new miexed use tower.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
| Sep 2, 2014
Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.