Contract - January/February 2013 - (Page 87)
By Sheila Kim
Photography by
James Haefner
education
SmithGroupJJR
“The Collections Wing at its raw purpose is a
storage building,” explains SmithGroupJJR Vice
President, Design Paul Urbanek, FAIA. Thus, the
interior walls are composed of standard gray
concrete block, but brush-cleaned to appear silvery
and luminous. A deep-raked joint accentuates the
outline of each block. “The exploration and honoring
of the gray concrete block and detailing bring this
utilitarian building material to a richly artistic level.”
In contrast, the wing’s entryways are refined in
design as a nod to Saarinen, who was said to have a
fascination with them and who ultimately created
“This addition embraces the concept of the art of storage with
an understated elegant solution, almost erasing the line of
demarcation between public space and back of house. Its clarity is
intrinsic beauty.” JURY
With names like Charles and Ray Eames, Florence
Knoll, and Daniel Libeskind, the past student and
faculty roster of Cranbrook Academy of Art is a
who’s who of modern and contemporary artists,
designers, and architects—and fostering all that
talent are campus facilities that are works of art in
themselves. One such example is the school’s
Cranbrook Art Museum by Eliel Saarinen, which
recently gained an additional 31,200 square feet of
space thanks to a restoration and new wing, both by
SmithGroupJJR.
The latter, known as the Collections Wing, is a
composition of three rectangular volumes that step
down in height as it extends northward. Its brick
cladding and non-ornamental appearance
complement the original 1942 Saarinen building,
which exhibits student and faculty work, as well as
art and objects from the school’s celebrated
collection. Think Andy Warhol, Harry Bertoia, Robert
Rauschenberg, and Donald Judd, among others.
When not on display, the remaining works from
Cranbrook’s 6,000-piece treasure trove are still
accessible—in its entirety—in the Collections Wing.
300 doors on the Cranbrook campus. The unique
SmithGroupJJR versions feature stainless steel
surrounds and sapele wood plank construction with
custom steel pulls. No two doors are alike, but all
possess Saarinen’s crafted aesthetic where even the
visible hardware becomes part of the design.
As Cranbrook is a school that prides itself in
inspiring students to become not just scholars but
leading practitioners in the art and design fields, the
new building is planned as an active learning center.
The design team created vaults for students and
visitors to explore stored pieces up close. Shelves
are topped with midcentury-modern furniture,
full-height sliding metal panels hold paintings and
prints, glass encloses a room for ceramics, and
drawers and racks store textiles and rugs.
Meanwhile, stainless steel and granite recesses in
the concrete walls are unique display niches that
highlight singular artworks. Hands-on workspaces
such as a woodshop and photography studio further
the goal of making the Collections Wing much more
than a storage facility, and a basic seminar room is
outfitted with audio/visual equipment.
While one doesn’t want to tamper with the
work of an architectural icon, Cranbrook understood
that its Saarinen-designed museum systems and
structural components were outdated and
inadequate in preserving artwork. This could have,
in fact, negatively impacted its accreditation from
the American Association of Museums (AAM).
SmithGroupJJR therefore set out to make vital
upgrades, primarily in climate control, with
reverence to Saarinen’s original design. The project
team revamped the mechanical plant with current
equipment and tore down interior walls to the bare
bones, rebuilding them in place with new insulation
and vapor locks to regulate temperature and
humidity at a constant level all year round.
One cosmetic upgrade couldn’t be ignored:
Saarinen had originally designed beautifully lit
ceiling coffers in the galleries, but in recent years
these were switched off and tracklights were
installed. SmithGroupJJR restored the innovative
ceiling to its former state and retrofit the coffer
system with dimmable LEDs. With this final
restorative touch, the Cranbrook Art Museum is not
only on par with today’s cutting-edge facilities, but
survives as a time capsule that allows visitors to
experience the museum as Saarinen intended when
it opened. c
contract
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - January/February 2013
Contract - January/February 2013
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs: Lighting
Product Focus: Bonaire and Buxom
Designer of the Year
Legend Award
34th annual interiors awards
Large Office
Small Office
Hotel
Restaurant
Healthcare
Education
Public Space
Showroom
Entertainment
Sustainable
Adaptive Reuse
Retail
Student
Designers Select: Tables and Desks
Sources
Ad Index
Public Interest Design
Perspective: Michael Graves on the Lost Art of Drawing
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