A Renovation and Addition to a Historic Museum at Florida State University Sarasota, FL
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the legacy of circus entrepreneur and art collector John Ringling and his wife, Mable. The Museum—which features both a permanent collection and temporary exhibition galleries—sits on a historic sixty-six acre estate that also includes the Venetian-Gothic Cà d’Zan mansion, the winter-residence of John and Mable Ringling, the Tibbals Learning Center, the John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion (housing the Historic Asolo Theater), the Johnson/Blalock Education/Conservation Building and The Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing. Believed to be originally envisioned as one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world, the Museum was ahead of its time in assembling a significant collection of Asian Art. Now governed by Florida State University, the Museum establishes the Ringling Estate as one of the largest museum-university complexes in the United States.
The Asian Art Study Center is an addition and ‘gut renovation’ and to the West Wing galleries on the southwest corner of the Museum complex. The renovation converts approximately 18,000 square-feet of existing gallery space from temporary exhibition space to permanent galleries for the museum’s growing Asian collection. A 7,500 square-foot addition houses new gallery space and a multi-purpose lecture hall. The Asian Art Study Center also includes innovative study/storage space and seminar rooms for scholars, researchers and students. The addition’s façade is composed of deep-green, glazed terra cotta tiles that address the client’s requirement of a new monumental entrance. The façade relates to the natural environment of the Museum’s extensive landscape, and its color and chiseled profile are reminiscent of the Cà d’Zan mansion’s ceramic detailing. Machado Silvetti collaborated closely with Boston Valley Terra Cotta to develop the color, form and installation technique for the panels. The over 3,000 tiles provide a high performance, visually striking building envelope that redefines the functionality of the surrounding site by activating the existing courtyard and by addressing circulation and infrastructure needs of the site.
Background The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the legacy of circus entrepreneur and art collector John Ringling and his wife, Mable. The Museum features both permanent collection and temporary exhibition galleries, and sits on an historic 66-acre estate that also includes the Venetian-Gothic Cà d’Zan mansion, the winter-residence of John and Mable Ringling, historic grounds and gardens, the reconstructed 18th-century Historic Asolo Theater, and the Circus Museums. The Museum is now governed by Florida State University establishing the Ringling estate as one of the largest museum/university complexes in the nation, and the Museum is the official state art museum of Florida. The Ringling has grown over time and is composed of a series of buildings. The original Museum building, designed by John H. Philips, opened in 1931. In 1966, the West Wing was added to the south leg of the Museum. In 2007, a major restoration effort was completed by the Museum and Florida State which restored all the existing buildings and expanded the Estate with four new buildings: the Tibbals Learning Center, the John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion – housing the Historic Asolo Theater, the Johnson/Blalock Education/Conservation Building, and The Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing.
It is believed that John Ringling originally envisioned the Museum to be one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world, and the Museum was ahead of its time in assembling a significant collection of Asian Art. In 2006, a combined endowment and building-collection gift substantially bolstered the Ringling Museum’s Asian art initiative which aims to establish the Museum as an important venue in Florida for the study of Asian Art. The gift of Dr. Helga Wall-Alpelt created a need for additional collection space and was the impetus behind the expansion of a new Asian Arts Center in the existing museum. The project goals were to expand the museum’s capacity to exhibit and store the Asian collections, to establish a new Asian Art Study Center, and to provide a dramatic new entrance to the Museum from the western end of the Estate.
Machado and Silvetti Associates and the Design Process In the spring of 2012, Machado and Silvetti Associates, LLC, was selected as the architect for the design of the new Asian Arts Study Center. Project Designer, Rodolfo Machado, and Project Architect, Craig Mutter began work on the design of the Study Center as a renovation and addition to the West Wing galleries on the southwest corner of the museum complex. The challenge of the project was to negotiate the limited available budget between renovation and new construction that would result in a building that would have architectural significance. The location of the site as a crossroads between back of house service areas, art path and public circulation, and arrival to the Museum from Sarasota Bay provided additional challenges.
After pursuing several options in collaboration with the Museum, a design emerged with the new Asian Art Pavilion as both an anchor and hinge for the site, providing a circulation hub for the Museum and serving as a monumental new point of entry. The design resulted from careful site planning to address vehicular and pedestrian circulation issues, connections with existing buildings and future development, service drives, infrastructure, and the challenges associated with providing a contextually appropriate new entry pavilion on the historic campus. Thusly, the new wing takes a deferential bow to the existing buildings by setting itself back from the frontage of the original buildings on the central courtyard. This approach allows the new addition to highlight and accentuate the oft overlooked architectural features of the West Wing, and preserves the uninterrupted axis of the Central Courtyard towards Sarasota Bay. The setback also fosters the definition of a series of newly reorganized exterior courtyards, including a redefined events space and an ‘Academic Courtyard’ linking the galleries to the public areas of the Johnson/Blalock Education Building.
The project program is distributed between the new pavilion and a gut renovation to the existing 1966 West Wing building. Approximately 18,000 square feet of renovation will convert existing temporary exhibit to permanent galleries with upper floors converted to object storage, a new reading room, and the Study Center. The new Study Center includes innovative study/storage space and seminar rooms for scholars, researchers and students. The new 7000 square foot pavilion will be home to new gallery space and a multi-purpose lecture hall for 125 people, expanded vertical circulation, and catering support. The new wing will also provide a direct connection from the Museum’s conservation labs and education center with the introduction of a new bridge connector.
The ‘Green Skin’ In consideration of the budget constraints of the project, MSA’s strategy was to restrain the building form and to focus the design on the development of a high performance, visually striking building envelope. The new pavilion is a modern addition to the Italianate stucco of the main buildings. The new exterior is clad in custom green glazed terra cotta rain screen. The rain screen allows for a continuous thermal/moisture barrier to ensure the integrity of the gallery conditions inside. The unusual form of the panels is intended to evoke a sculpted non-directional chiseled quality and is reminiscent of the symbolic forms of terra cotta tiles in ancient Chinese roof architecture. The green color recedes from the color of the original structures and serves to reinforce the initial decision to set back the addition from the face of the original West Wing. The sharp terra cotta forms are intended to evoke the art objects (including the Chinese jades in the Wall-Alpelt collection), but are also inspired by colors found in nature and the whimsical architectural terra cotta tiling found in the original Ca’ D’Zan. After considering several material systems, MSA recommended the glazed terra cotta material because of its ability to achieve both the form of the panels, its durability and ability to meet the technical requirements for designing for hurricane winds in Florida, and for the intangible ability of the glazing process to meet and exceed expectations for the desired green color.
Collaboration and Implementation There have been many advances in architectural ceramics over recent decades, especially in traditional European centers of craftsmanship. Budget constraints made it clear that a domestic supplier and fabricator were needed for this project. MSA had previously worked with Boston Valley Terra Cotta (BVTC), out of Buffalo, New York, on several projects, including the recently completed Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. MSA knew BVTC to be the leading innovators in the field.
BVTC has been at the center of a manufacturing and design renaissance in the City of Buffalo, and has been developing custom fabrication capabilities to venture beyond the innovative extruded façade systems that they are well known for. After several meetings, it became clear that BVTC was the perfect partner for the Ringling project. Once the decision was made to use terra cotta, a productive process of communication began between MSA and BVTC during the technical development of the design.
-Weight of the largest tile type: Approx 68 lbs for a “B” unit -Dimensions of the largest tile type: 23-5/8” x 24-1/2” x 5-1/2” -Number of people involved in making each tile: a minimum of 12 sets of hands touched each piece between the start of the process in Pressing/Finishing all the way to boxing them in Shipping. -Length of time required to make each tile: Typically 28 days to get a piece through all of the steps of the production process. -Firing temperature: 2043 degrees F (Cone 3) (twice fired) -Type of glaze: “Custom High-Gloss Glaze” This glaze was specifically formulated for the project. -Name of color: BVTC Green 143G ie “Jade Green”
Quick Facts The Ringling project improves museum and overall campus circulation; expands the museum’s capacity to exhibit and store artwork, and establishes new art study spaces. Directly relevant project components include: specially designed connections between the existing and new building to ensure security and appropriate climate control; lighting, acoustics and mechanical systems designed to meet the technical requirements of a research and teaching museum; code, accessibility and climate control upgrades; flexible gallery spaces and purposeful program adjacencies to address back of house and faculty needs; and coordination with a diverse stakeholder and user group. MSA worked with the contractor to limit interruptions and control vibrations, allowing the museum to remain operational during all phases of construction.
