easy access to and from the main museum via galleries and an elevator in its five-story tower. Because the addition’s southern and western elevations must bear the brunt of direct sunlight, the architects devised a unique layering of glass to protect the upper-level galleries from overexposure to ultraviolet light. A double-paned wall of fritted glass diffuses sunshine yet emits enough natural light for viewing exhibits on most days without artificial illumination. It’s along the southern and western elevations that the rice-paper screen effect is employed, with off-the-shelf fluorescent light fixtures installed behind horizontal sections of the steel grid. The architects collaborated with exhibit designers to customize the cases that distribute sunlight to each of the objects displayed. Outdoor views through clear glass along the upperlevel’s north side invites visitors to take a break from viewing exhibits. In contrast to the complexities of the lighting design for the upper level, the strategy employed in the lower story is simple—envelop the entire level completely with opaque metal panels. According to Martha Blackwelder, who served as the museum’s curator of Asian art when the new wing first opened, the delicate works exhibited in the Japanese Gallery cannot be exposed to daylight. Instead, those articles must be displayed in a space where low levels of artificial light can be controlled for the object’s preservation. Overland’s architects worked closely with Blackwelder and the Asian Wing’s benefactors to specify lighting design for each application. “We tried to understand what type of place would be appropriate for each part of the collection, both in terms of cultural context and physical environment,” Archer says. “Light was a major concern throughout the collection. What kind of light, how much light, where is the light coming from? This led to the idea of the building as a ‘light harvester’ where objects are viewed under optimal natural and artificial light.” Overland’s attention to light paid off, as juror Rick Joy, AIA, commented, “The addition is clearly the work of a mature architect with a very precise interest in daylighting. There’s even a beautiful section where daylighting is borrowed from an adjacent space to illuminate some exhibits on the wall. It’s clearly modern and of our time and place, but in contrast, in a beautiful contrast between itself and the big historic building it’s a part of.” Juror Mary Margaret Jones, FASLA, added, “The Asian Art Wing is a perfect example of how additions should be done to historic buildings. It is restrained. It is elegant. It uses natural light really well, not only in the public spaces of the museum addition but also in the exhibits, so that the quality of light on the objects is well done.” The Asian Wing represents one of a series of collaborations between SAMA and Overland Partners, the firm chosen in the mid-1990s to masterplan the museum complex. Stephen Sharpe is editor of Texas Architect.
This article is adapted from “Light Insertion” published in the November/December 2005 edition. r e s o u r c e s concrete materials : wall assemblies :
Acme;
roof and wall panels :
Alamo Concrete Products; cementitious decks : Drury South; unit masonry
railings and handrails :
Julius Blum & Company;
structural steel :
Jackson Steel;
Morin Corporation; membrane roofing : Siplast; intumescent paint: A/D Fire Protection
Systems; dampproofing / traffic coatings : Sonneborn; access doors / panels and entrances / storefronts : Vistawall Architectural Products; glazed curtainwall : Kawneer; gypsum : G-P Gypsum; tile : Daltile; stone paving and flooring :
Delta Granite & Marble; blinds , shutters and shades : Vimco Lutron Electronics; design software :
Autocad, 3D Studio Viz
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