The University of Iowa recently completed its new Stanley Museum of Art, a public teaching museum designed by BNIM. The 63,000-square-foot building restores an art museum to the campus after 14 years, following historic flooding in 2008. The Stanley Museum of Art reunites the school with its renowned collections and works, such as Jackson Pollock’s Mural, which had been temporarily held by art institutions around the world.
The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art is a public museum for discovering and teaching art, as well as a center for campus connection. The building features a transparent main lobby and a new entry plaza for art displays, performances, social gatherings, and classes. A series of flexible gallery spaces offers students, faculty, and visitors space for observing, discussing, and exploring the collections. The galleries’ proportions allow for faculty to curate collections for teaching and research and for students to learn about curating, which is central to the museum’s mission.
The museum’s upper floors include a visual arts laboratory classroom where the collections can be used for teaching. Collaborative staff and volunteer spaces also support the research and teaching of the collections.
A dark, kinetic brick facade, with alternating brick texture and brick finish, reflects the changing sunlight. The lobby’s glass facade and a series of interconnected voids throughout the building establish connections to natural light and guide the visitor experience. Outdoor terraces also serve as spaces for socializing and school visits.
On the Building Team:
Owner: The University of Iowa
Design architect: BNIM
Architect of record: BNIM
MEP engineer: Design Engineers
Structural engineer: Meyer Borgman Johnson
General contractor/construction manager: Russell Construction
Related Stories
Museums | Apr 23, 2015
Moshe Safdie unveils pentagonal scheme for National Medal of Honor Museum
The new museum near Charleston, S.C., will archive the history of the nation's highest military honorees.
Museums | Apr 22, 2015
Check out Ralph Johnson's stunning nature-inspired Shanghai museum
The newly opened Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by Perkins+Will’s Global Design Director Ralph Johnson, mimics the shape of a nautilus shell, and features natural elements throughout.
Museums | Apr 16, 2015
SANAA and Snøhetta tie at first place for Budapest museum bid
The two firms submitted designs for the New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum, one of five planned museums to be constructed in a park just outside the urban center of Hungary’s capital.
Sponsored | Fire-Rated Products | Apr 14, 2015
Fire resistive curtain wall brings maximum light, views and safety to Aspen Art Museum
The curtain wall used for the Shigeru Ban-designed museum provides maximum daylight while protecting the art from fire
Museums | Apr 10, 2015
Henning Larsen Architects designs timber museum extension in Sweden
The new extension will complement Österund’s wooded surroundings
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
14 projects that push AEC teaming to the limits
From Lean construction to tri-party IPD to advanced BIM/VDC coordination, these 14 Building Teams demonstrate the power of collaboration in delivering award-winning buildings. These are the 2015 Building Team Award winners.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
9/11 museum triumphs over controversy
The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.
High-rise Construction | Mar 16, 2015
Mexican Museum tower caught in turmoil to break ground this summer in San Francisco
Millennium Partners said it will break ground on the 53-story residential and museum tower while the lawsuits go through the appeals process.
Museums | Mar 9, 2015
Architecture based on astronomy principles for new planetarium in Shanghai
The ancient Chinese civilization left some of the earliest records of humans studying the stars and skies. To exhibit this long history, a new planetarium and astronomy museum is planned for construction in Shanghai.
Museums | Mar 5, 2015
A giant, silver loop in Dubai will house the Museum of the Future
The Sheikh of Dubai hopes the $136 million museum will serve as an incubator for ideas and real designs—a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.
