University of Iowa
Stanley Museum of Art
A state-of-the-art facility restores the Stanley Art Museum to the campus community after 14 years
Information
- Location Iowa City, Iowa
- Size 63,000 SF
- Completion 2022
- Services Architecture
- Project Type Museums
The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art project is a new cultural arts destination that restores an art museum presence to the campus community after 14 years, following historic flooding in 2008. The new home for the Museum reunites the University with its extensive and world-renowned collection of African Art, 20th Century Art, and works such as Jackson Pollock’s Mural. Art galleries, outdoor terraces, a sculpture courtyard, and a greeting and gathering entry lobby create a vibrant and supportive museum experience while spaces including a visual classroom and visible storage area support the Museum’s teaching and research objectives. Welcoming gallery spaces are designed with flexibility for the collection, traveling exhibitions, and curation and teaching curriculum. An inviting entry plaza and transparent, daylight-filled art lounge lobby, adjacent to Gibson Square Park, serve as an inviting front door for the facility and provide space for performances, student gathering, classes, and artist talks, allowing artistic expression to extend from within the walls of the museum to become a central component of the campus experience.
Impact + Innovation
The Stanley Museum of Art is immersed in campus activity at the University of Iowa. Dynamic and kinetic dark, warm brick exterior recalls timeless academic and cultural brick masonry buildings. Through an alternating composition of brick texture and brick finish, the façade is transformed by the daily and seasonal changes in sunlight, creating oscillating levels of reflection and shadow. A glass façade on the main floor brings the outside in, establishing transparency and connectivity to the surrounding campus. The Museum is designed as a rectilinear solid interrupted by interconnected voids, creating a form that provides a protective and respectful home for the display and conservation of the collections while still inviting daylight through the building’s three floors, creating an intuitive pathway for visitor experience.
Process
After significant flooding breached the 500-year flood level of the Iowa River in 2008, including the original 1968 university art museum located across the river, it was determined that mitigating the original museum from future flooding was not financially feasible and a new facility should be constructed. The design team collaborated with the Stanley Museum of Art and the University of Iowa to understand goals and vision for this new museum presence. It was important that the new Stanley Museum of Art create a welcoming home for its extensive collection on campus while also embracing the multi-faceted role of the Museum in benefitting the community through arts education, becoming a space for public forum and a catalyst for creativity. The design team also addressed the concerns of future flooding at the new site, elevating the first level of the new Museum and all building systems above grade and the 500-year flood level. The building is designed to maintain its temperature and humidity band necessary for the conservation environment for a minimum of 72 hours in a flooding event.
Sustainability
- Energy reduction from baseline: 35%
- Embodied Carbon reduction: 48%
- Carbon lbs net emissions reduction from baseline: 63%
- LPD reduction per 2030 Challenge baselines: 36%
- Indoor water fixtures and process reduction: 27.5%
- Stormwater management of 2-year, 24-hour storm stored onsite: 29.7%
- Vegetated site area of total site, excluding building footprint: 23.8%
- Native planting covering planted area: 95%
- Spatial daylight autonomy – R.O. floor area with useable daylight: 47%
- Quality view – R.O. floor area with view to exterior: 47%
- Walkability Score: 50
People
Team
- Carey Nagle
- Levi Robb
- Rod Kruse
- Kayla Berkson
- Dana Sorensen
- Glenn Veigas
- Paul Kempton
- Barrett Peterson
- Stephan Sanda
- Casey Cassias
- Rob Gray
Client
University of Iowa
Media
News
Awards
The Chicago Anthenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and European Centre for Architecture Art
The International Architecture Award
2024
The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design
Green GOOD DESIGN®
2024
IIDA – The Mid America Design Awards
Gold Award, Higher Education and Research
2024
The Chicago Anthenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and European Centre for Architecture Art
The American Architecture Award
2023
AIA Iowa
Honor Award, Architecture
2023
AIA Kansas City
Honor Award and Project of the Year – Architecture
2023
International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF)
Interiors Awards Winner – Education
2023
AIA Iowa
Honor Award, Craft
2023
Master Builders of Iowa (MBI)
Masters Award in the over $25 MM category
2023
Architizer
A+Awards Special Mention – Museums
2023
ENR Midwest
Best Project, Higher Education
2023
Construction Keystone Awards
Mid-America Class, Building Construction
2023
AIA Central States Region
Design Award – Citation
2023
