Jean Vollum Drawing, Painting, and Photography Building – Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland by Charles Rose Architects Inc.

Article source: Charles Rose Architects Inc.

Embodying Oregon’s legacy of individuality and independence, Oregon College of Art and Craft has been championing art-making through craft since 1907. Today it offers an intense studio experience, personalized and rigorous instruction, and an active ground for exploration. As the only private art college west of the Mississippi to offer an accredited BFA in Crafts, OCAC is a superb laboratory for the invention of modern craft.

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• Architect: Charles Rose Architects Inc.
• Name of Project: Jean Vollum Drawing, Painting, and Photography Building – Oregon College of Art and Craft
• Location: Portland, Oregon

As a principal center for education, creative expression, and the mastery of contemporary craft, the College selected Charles Rose Architects to design three new buildings for its 9.5 acre wooded campus: the campus library, the metals workshop, and the drawing, painting and photography (DPP) studio, which includes a small thesis pavilion. The DPP building, submitted here, is the first to be constructed; its opening marks the completion of the first phase of the College’s expansion plans, which will eventually double the current space and enlarge the existing indoor/outdoor nature of the campus grounds. To fulfill this campus vision where craft and nature coexist and inspire, the DPP building is a place where art-making, study, teaching, and contemplation occur in a setting carefully and strategically integrated into the natural hillside landscape.

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Charles Rose Architects worked closely with the College to create a building that not only provides functional workspaces but also embraces its pedagogical and strategic objectives. The upper floor of the DPP building includes 6,240 square feet of drawing and painting studios. The lower floor features 5,645 square feet 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 for campus lectures and events. The incorporation of sustainable features is a central design concern for OCAC, and Charles Rose Architects assisted the College in determining its “green” strategy. The two-story structure utilizes sustainable building techniques that reflect Portland’s environmental priorities, and have qualified the building for a LEED Silver certification.

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The greater Portland community has enthusiastically embraced the new building. Randy Gragg, Editor-in-Chief of Portland Monthly wrote of the building, “If its craftsmanship, the way it shapes the winter light, or the artists buzzing inside don’t juice the urge to take a class in the New Year, it may at least inspire you to move your desk next to the best window and start making a better 2011. Designed by the Boston-based Charles Rose Architects, the $7 million structure is a rare Portland building designed by a great architect from elsewhere… [Charles Rose Architects] beautifully channeled the region’s landscape and light to encourage the tasks inside: …making art…Every corner is a carefully composed and crafted convergence of forces that turns the artmaking inside into a collaboration with the surroundings.”

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Model

Tags: Oregon, Portland

Categories: Educational Center, University Building

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