Steven Holl Designs New Glassell School of Art at Houston's MFAH

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) has opened a new building for its Glassell School of Art, designed by architect Steven Holl. The 8,700-square-meter structure is part of a larger 56,000-square-meter campus redevelopment with a $450 million budget, $400 million raised through fundraising. The project also involves landscape architect Deborah Nevins, who designed the Brown Foundation Plaza. The plaza features Cloud Column (1998-2006) by Anish Kapoor, a nearly 10-meter-tall stainless steel sculpture, and Song of Strength (1966) by Eduardo Chillida, a granite work. MFAH director Gary Tinterow stated that the artworks serve as a "fulcrum between the two spaces" of the school and museum. The Glassell School, originally founded in 1979 after a bequest from trustee Alfred C. Glassell Jr., is the only museum-based art school in the United States offering programs for all ages, from 3-year-olds to adults. The new L-shaped building includes 36 naturally lit studios, galleries, a central staircase functioning as a forum, a 75-seat auditorium, a public café, and a walkable roof with panoramic views. Holl described the building as "a fundamental part of the overall strategy for shaping the public spaces of the entire campus," with alternating concrete and glass panels creating porosity between interior and exterior. The school can accommodate over 8,500 children and adults annually. The campus redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2020.