Windgate Art & Design Building

University of ArkansaS - Fort Smith

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Project Details
57,000 square feet
2,500 square feet of gallery space

Awards
Learning By Design Honorable Mention Award
AIA Arkansas People’s Choice Design Award

WER designed the new Windgate Art & Design building to embrace the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith campus and community. Opportunities were created to highlight the craft of art not only within but also outside the building. There is a greater porosity at the ground floor to entice art patrons inside. Immediately they are enveloped in the art of students, local talent and traveling exhibits in the gallery areas.

The 3-story building includes art studios, computer labs, a wood shop, lecture hall, critique spaces on each floor and a photography studio. The majority of studio spaces have a consistent character and function so that, without too much trouble, they are interchangeable to address surges of interest in the coming years. Function specific studios for screen-printing and letterpress have been tailored to unique equipment and processes.

The building was designed to celebrate collaboration. The central stair is an organizing element to connect the various programs within the facility. It integrates a student hangout space on all floors that also serves as an impromptu critique area. Seeded among the seat risers are outlets and USB plugs to charge devices.

Much of the building has exposed structure and supporting systems. The intent is that these systems become art themselves in how they interface with each other and reveal how they are constructed. Our concept for the exterior facades pays homage to Piet Mondrian. Mondrian was not afraid of white space. This building does not overshadow the work going on inside. Our goal was to leave this building as a canvas full of white space, a backdrop for the creativity of the artists inside it.