Winter Visual Arts Center

Lancaster, PA
Winter Visual Arts Center

facade design, special structures  Services

Steven Holl Architects  Architect

Curved Building on the Campus of Franklin & Marshall College with Channel Glass and a Flowing Roof Geometry

Project

On the historic campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania – one of the oldest bilingual colleges in the United States – a new art academy building has replaced the Herman Arts Center. As the first phase of the campus expansion, the lightweight new construction was designed as a contrast to the existing brick architecture of the older buildings. The curved, delicate design of the new building consists of a spatial steel structure for the upper floors, resting on two massive cores. With its location, the southern end of the campus is now activated as a new destination, providing ample space for the growing number of international and domestic students.

Frameless glass construction and channel glass spanning up to 6 meters with integrated opening vents

Facade Design
The building envelope consists of transparent, opaque and translucent vertical facades and skylights. A double layer of channel glass, filled with translucent thermal insulation and spanning up to 6 meters, is designed to provide diffuse daylight in the interior. The free-spanning glass construction on the ground floor, offering maximum transparency, supports the architectural concept of a seemingly floating building volume. The double-layered, translucently insulated channel glass façade has a U-value of 0.85 W/m²K with a light transmission of 19%. Natural light and ventilation, along with thermal mass activation for heating and cooling, contribute to the building’s sustainability.

Gallery

Project data

Client Franklin & Marshall College

Architect Steven Holl Architects

Finalization 09/2020

Project data Gross floor area 3065,80 m²
Facade surface 1.590 m²

Services facade design, special structures

Awards 2020 Architect's Newspaper, Best of Design Awards, Gewinner der Kategorie Institutionelle Hochschulbildung, Finalist für das Projekt des Jahres, 2021 AIA New York Design, Honor Award and "Best of the Best" / 2021 Texas Society of Architects Design Award / 2021 Architecture MasterPrize and "Best of the Best" / 2021 Houston Business Journal Landmark Award for Community Impact / 2021 AZ Award Finalist