View of covered walkway linking the Thesis Pavilion and the main building.
Embodying Oregon's legacy of individuality andindependence, Oregon College of Art and Craft has been championing art-makingthrough craft since 1907. Today it offers an intense studio experience,personalized and rigorous instruction, and an active ground for exploration. Asthe only private art college west of the Mississippito offer an accredited BFA in Crafts, OCAC is a superb laboratory for the inventionof modern craft.
As a principal center for education,creative expression, and the mastery of contemporary craft, the College selectedCharles Rose Architects to design three new buildings for its 9.5 acre woodedcampus: the campus library, the metals workshop, and the drawing, painting andphotography (DPP) studio, which includes a small thesis pavilion. The DPPbuilding, submitted here, is the first to be constructed; its opening marks thecompletion of the first phase of the College’s expansion plans, which willeventually double the current space and enlarge the existing indoor/outdoornature of the campus grounds. To fulfill this campus vision where craft andnature coexist and inspire, the DPP building is a place where art-making,
View of clerestories at roof.
Gallery space.
Charles Rose Architects worked closelywith the College to create a building that not only provides functionalworkspaces but also embraces its pedagogical and strategic objectives. Theupper floor of the DPP building includes 6,240 squarefeet of drawing and painting studios. The lower floor features 5,645 squarefeet of photography studio space, including five film development stations,three darkrooms, and a state-of-the-art digital lab. Expandable classrooms,capable of holding up to 200 people, create additional space forcampus lectures and events. The incorporation of sustainable features is acentral design concern for OCAC, and Charles Rose Architects assisted the College in determining its “green”strategy. The two-story structure utilizes sustainable building techniques thatreflect Portland’senvironmental priorities, and have qualified the building for a LEED Silver certification.
The greater Portland community has enthusiasticallyembraced the new building. Randy Gragg, Editor-in-Chief of Portland Monthly wroteof the building, “If its craftsmanship, the way it shapes the winter light, orthe artists buzzing inside don’t juice the urge to take a class in the NewYear, it may at least inspire you to move your desk next to the best window andstart making a better 2011. Designed by the Boston-based Charles RoseArchitects, the $7 million structure is a rare Portland building designed by a greatarchitect from elsewhere… [Charles Rose Architects] beautifully channeled theregion’s landscape and light to encourage the tasks inside: …making art…Everycorner is a carefully composed and crafted convergence of forces that turns theartmaking inside into a collaboration with the surroundings.”
Detail view of clerestory at Gallery.
Gallery at main building also provides gathering space and student storage.
Detail view of railing designed by a local artist.
Drawing and Painting Studio.
Painting Deck overlooking green space.
View of the variety of gathering spaces and circulation routes.
Thesis Pavilion.
Window seating at the Gallery in the Thesis Pavilion.
J Somerville, MA, USA
www.charlesrosearchitects.com
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