McGee Art Pavilion
School of Art & Design
New York State College of Ceramics
LOCATION
Alfred, New York
CLIENT
New York State College of Ceramics
TYPE
Education | Art Gallery + Studios | Addition + Renovation
SUSTAINABILITY
Designed to LEED Silver
AWARDS
2014
Architizer A+ Awards
2013
AIA New York Merit Award
2012
AIA New Jersey Honor Award
AIA New York State Merit Award
Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award
Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award
World Architecture News Education Awards Finalist
Outstanding Design Award - American School & University Magazine
2011
International Design Awards Silver Award
The McGee Art Pavilion is an expansion to the School of Art and Design at the New York State College of Ceramics in Alfred, New York and provides a spacious and flexible new gallery space and studios for student artwork. Set on a plaza between two existing campus buildings, the Pavilion is conceived as a large ceramic vessel for holding art and light.
Wrapped by a high-performance ceramic solar screen, the building’s second story dramatically cantilevers over a glass entry wall and exhibition space, shielding it from harsh sunlight while allowing passersby to witness the creative activities within. The ceramic façade, made of unglazed terracotta baguettes, references both the artwork inside and the historical heritage of this region in Upstate New York, which has been a leader in ceramic and glass technology for more than a century.
An immersive gallery on the mezzanine is suspended above, and large wood pivoting doors can be positioned to close off the space to natural light, thus allowing it to serve other functions such as new media studios.
