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A new Studio Arts Building to house the Charles M. Schulz Museum’s art program for children, strategically located at the edge of the existing Museum’s Courtyard. The goal was to create a new building that would both, improve the quality of the experience for the children and showcase the program to visitors as well as the greater community.
By locating the building in the Courtyard, the art program gains a physical presence, the work being produced by the children is highlighted and the Courtyard gains increased activity. This location also provides for a key element of the Museum’s program: a secure and private space for the children to play. The building becomes a threshold between is public face (Courtyard to the east) and its private face to the west.
Othmar Hall’s massing compliment the Museum’s main building and the use of cement plaster, wood and metal pick up on the existing palette. The new building greets visitors with a long shady bench to relax, beneath a ribbon window that offers glimpses into the activity inside.
As the building’s standing seem metal roof rises, it creates tall ceilings in the classrooms with transom windows to let in daylight. The slatted wood ceiling and cork flooring not only provide warmth, they help reduce sound transmission. For increased flexibility and to accommodate various events, the space can be divided into two classrooms or opened into one larger space for major gatherings.
From the classrooms, seven foot wide pocket doors open to a covered patio that ultimately leads to the landscaped play space beyond. Blurring the line between inside and out, the patio’s walls are clad in blackboard panels and its’ deep ten-foot overhang not only limits heat gain, it also provides a sheltered space for lunch and outdoor instruction.
Structural Engineer: Strandberg Engineering
Landscape Architect: Quadriga
Photography: Bruce Damonte