Tadao Ando - Clark Art Institute

Tadao Ando
Clark Art Institute
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Image courtesy Clark Art Institute

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute recently unveiled the design for its new building and comprehensive campus enhancement.
The design by Tadao Ando will add 95,000 square feet of space to fulfil more effectively the Clark's dual role as a public art museum and a major academic and research center.
Ando's design reduces the overall "footprint" of the buildings above ground, providing better recreational access to the surrounding land and improving the landscape that surrounds the buildings, drives, and parking areas.

Image courtesy Clark Art Institute
View of the main campus from Stone Hill

The design will unify the existing buildings and reorient them to the natural landscape, emphasizing the Clark's unique art-in-nature experience and continuing the Institute's tradition of preserving its 140-acre site.
At the heart of the site will be a new, one-and-a-half acre reflecting pool which will be visible from all three buildings and provide a central, unifying point for the whole campus. The four-inch deep pool will be a cool spot for visitors in the summer, and in the winter will be frozen for ice skating, adding another outdoor activity for the community.

Image courtesy Clark Art Institute

The Ando building will be a two-story rectangular structure of glass, with an outdoor terrace overlooking the new reflecting pool, and below grade courtyards. Located to the northwest of the Clark's original white marble building, the building will incorporate glass and granite, and will be open to views of the landscape on all floors.
The building will serve as the Visitor, Graduate & Conference Center, which will include 11,500 square feet of gallery space devoted to special exhibitions, an increase of 50% over the Clark's existing facilities.

Image courtesy Clark Art Institute

The new galleries will feature natural light, and higher ceilings to accommodate the large-scale works of arts, such as historical paintings, that it has been difficult to exhibit previously. A new full service restaurant and a more casual cafŽ with the option for outdoor seating will be built, along with a new bookstore and gift shop.

Visitors will enter the pavilion from a path set along a stone wall, which will both direct them clearly to the entrance and build anticipation for the views of the campus that will be revealed as they approach.

Image courtesy Clark Art Institute

The design consists of three rectangular elements united by a wall that extends both above and below ground. This wall will be clad in the same type of red granite that is seen on the Clark's library and office building from 1973, and will visually integrate all the buildings on campus, helping visitors orient themselves both indoors and out.

The amount of above ground building on the campus will not increase, since an existing 16,449 square foot service building, erected in 1965, will be demolished along with a temporary garage structure added in 1999, to make room for this expansion and to improve the buildings' integration with the natural landscape. The above ground portion of the new visitor, graduate, and conference center will measure 15,668 square feet.

Image courtesy Clark Art Institute

A centerpiece of the expansion and campus enhancement is the reaffirmation of the original 1955 white marble building as central to the visitor experience. Designed by the late Daniel Perry under founder Sterling Clark's close supervision, the building is a neo-classical "temple of art," with intimate galleries. Ando has designed a 2,700 square foot transparent glass foyer, which will serve as a new West entrance to the 1955 building. The new Ando addition complements the original structure, while its scale will create a sense of grandeur in keeping with the original building's style. Portions of the white marble building will be renovated to provide an additional 6,380 square feet of new galleries for the Clark's growing permanent collection, an increase of 40 percent over the existing facilities.

Also included in the design will be renovations to the 1973 red granite building. Space that is currently used for special exhibition galleries will be reallocated to accommodate the growing needs of the Clark's extensive art history research library. A new print study center and rare book room are planned for space off of the main courtyard. The 320-seat Auditorium will continue to be used for large lectures and concerts.

Landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand Associates' approach to the project has taken into account the cultural history of the site as well as its views, character, and wetlands. The plan for the landscape portion of the project will enable the Clark to continue to manage the woodlands and fields for diversity and augment the site's beauty and pristine qualities.

Drawing courtesy Clark Art Institute

Scheduled completion: 2005

Clark Art Institute

Architect: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Landscape Architects: Reed Hilderbrand Associates

The Clark also announced its intentions to build another facility on a second campus site in Williamstown that will include a new home for the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, public exhibition and visitor orientation space, and art storage for the Clark, along with public access to the spectacular views of Mt. Greylock. The new campus is the result of a partnership with Northern Berkshire Health Systems, and construction on the first stage of the project is expected to begin in 2004.

Tadao Ando: Architect exhibition at the Clark Art Institute.

May 12, 2003

Tadao Ando arcspace features





				Features
		Tadao Ando Clark Art Institute Williamstown, Massachusetts Image courtesy Clark Art Institute The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute recently unveiled the design for its new building and comprehensive campus enhancement. The design by Tadao Ando will add 95,000 square feet of space to fulfil more effectively the Clark's dual role as a public art museum and a major academic and research center. Ando's design reduces the overall "footprint" of the buildings above ground, providing better recreational access to the surrounding land and improving the landscape that surrounds the buildings, drives, and parking areas. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute View of the main campus from Stone Hill The design will unify the existing buildings and reorient them to the natural landscape, emphasizing the Clark's unique art-in-nature experience and continuing the Institute's tradition of preserving its 140-acre site. At the heart of the site will be a new, one-and-a-half acre reflecting pool which will be visible from all three buildings and provide a central, unifying point for the whole campus. The four-inch deep pool will be a cool spot for visitors in the summer, and in the winter will be frozen for ice skating, adding another outdoor activity for the community. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute Image courtesy Clark Art Institute The Ando building will be a two-story rectangular structure of glass, with an outdoor terrace overlooking the new reflecting pool, and below grade courtyards. Located to the northwest of the Clark's original white marble building, the building will incorporate glass and granite, and will be open to views of the landscape on all floors. The building will serve as the Visitor, Graduate & Conference Center, which will include 11,500 square feet of gallery space devoted to special exhibitions, an increase of 50% over the Clark's existing facilities. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute The new galleries will feature natural light, and higher ceilings to accommodate the large-scale works of arts, such as historical paintings, that it has been difficult to exhibit previously. A new full service restaurant and a more casual cafŽ with the option for outdoor seating will be built, along with a new bookstore and gift shop. Visitors will enter the pavilion from a path set along a stone wall, which will both direct them clearly to the entrance and build anticipation for the views of the campus that will be revealed as they approach. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute The design consists of three rectangular elements united by a wall that extends both above and below ground. This wall will be clad in the same type of red granite that is seen on the Clark's library and office building from 1973, and will visually integrate all the buildings on campus, helping visitors orient themselves both indoors and out. The amount of above ground building on the campus will not increase, since an existing 16,449 square foot service building, erected in 1965, will be demolished along with a temporary garage structure added in 1999, to make room for this expansion and to improve the buildings' integration with the natural landscape. The above ground portion of the new visitor, graduate, and conference center will measure 15,668 square feet. Image courtesy Clark Art Institute A centerpiece of the expansion and campus enhancement is the reaffirmation of the original 1955 white marble building as central to the visitor experience. Designed by the late Daniel Perry under founder Sterling Clark's close supervision, the building is a neo-classical "temple of art," with intimate galleries. Ando has designed a 2,700 square foot transparent glass foyer, which will serve as a new West entrance to the 1955 building. The new Ando addition complements the original structure, while its scale will create a sense of grandeur in keeping with the original building's style. Portions of the white marble building will be renovated to provide an additional 6,380 square feet of new galleries for the Clark's growing permanent collection, an increase of 40 percent over the existing facilities. Also included in the design will be renovations to the 1973 red granite building. Space that is currently used for special exhibition galleries will be reallocated to accommodate the growing needs of the Clark's extensive art history research library. A new print study center and rare book room are planned for space off of the main courtyard. The 320-seat Auditorium will continue to be used for large lectures and concerts. Landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand Associates' approach to the project has taken into account the cultural history of the site as well as its views, character, and wetlands. The plan for the landscape portion of the project will enable the Clark to continue to manage the woodlands and fields for diversity and augment the site's beauty and pristine qualities. Drawing courtesy Clark Art Institute Scheduled completion: 2005 Clark Art Institute Architect: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates Landscape Architects: Reed Hilderbrand Associates The Clark also announced its intentions to build another facility on a second campus site in Williamstown that will include a new home for the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, public exhibition and visitor orientation space, and art storage for the Clark, along with public access to the spectacular views of Mt. Greylock. The new campus is the result of a partnership with Northern Berkshire Health Systems, and construction on the first stage of the project is expected to begin in 2004. Tadao Ando: Architect exhibition at the Clark Art Institute. May 12, 2003 Tadao Ando arcspace features