The new Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa has opened fifteen years after historic flooding destroyed the campus’ previous arts destination. Designed by BNIM, the new venue serves as a learning and teaching laboratory for the arts and a hub for the wider campus.

Externally, the new museum is clad in what the design team describes as a “dynamic and kinetic” facade of dark, warm brick. Complimenting the masonry characteristics of neighboring buildings, the material palette also references the academic and cultural brick masonry buildings of Alvar Aalto, Louis Kahn, and Eero and Eliel Saarinen. Through an alternating composition of texture and finish, the façade changes character due to daily and seasonal changes in sunlight, creating varying levels of reflection and shadow.

The museum is designed as a rectilinear solid form permeated by interconnected voids, creating what the team calls a “protective and respectful home for the display, conservation, and storage of the museum’s collections.” In addition to allowing natural light deep into the building, the voids link the museum’s three floors to create a primary pathway for visitors. A central exterior courtyard also establishes connections to daylight and nature, creating additional display space for sculptural installations.

Visitors enter the museum through a daylight-filled lobby, whose glass facade seeks to establish transparency and connection with the surrounding campus. Doubling as a display, performance, and gathering space, the lobby will also host a rotating display of work by contemporary artists throughout the year.

On the second floor, a series of gallery spaces are designed with the flexibility to meet the individual needs of collections and traveling exhibitions. The proportions of the galleries also allow the faculty to curate and use collections for teaching and research, as well as for students learning the principles of curation.

On the third floor, the museum contains a visual laboratory classroom where art will be installed for students to observe for coursework, as well as corner office spaces for staff and volunteers. In addition to its research, teaching, and support functions, the third floor will also serve as an extension of the public museum space, as well as providing access to a series of terraces.

To address the concerns of future flooding, the first level of the new museum and all building systems are elevated above grade and the site’s 500-year flood level. The building is also designed to maintain the temperature and humidity levels necessary for the conservation environment for a minimum of 72 hours in a flooding event.

News of the scheme comes weeks after BNIM collaborated with Snøhetta on the design of the new Vesterheim campus in Iowa. The firm has also previously collaborated with Steven Hollon the design of The REACH at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.