Ethel Wattis Kimball Department of Visual Arts

Weber State University

In a singular building, the Ethel Wattis Kimball Department of Visual Arts, accommodates the future development of a central campus quadrangle as well as internally anticipates the transition from analog-based technique to digitally-premised idea generation.  Within the normative natural lit studios scaled to a body-centric engagement with materials, technique and display resides the opportunity to undo the normative in a future dominated by digital curriculum that is disembodied from location and scale. Just as in a program that anticipates its own undoing, the structural integrity of the building is subverted by folding conventional steel decking to invite natural light into the gallery envelope, where structural integrity becomes light that marks the temporal passage of time. 

The Visual Arts Department includes wet and digital studios, classrooms, art gallery, and a 120-seat auditorium. The building is located in a prominent entry corridor to the main campus. The project included building humidification for permanent and temporary collection, display and storage, food service, student commons, art book and periodical library, sculpture garden, and digital and distance learning labs. The building requires a sophisticated HVAC system to balance considerable air quality and toxic material handling needs.

Honor Award, AIA Utah New