The Figge Art Museum Building

In August 2005, the Figge Art Museum, opened at its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River.  The museum now occupies a 100,000-square-foot facility designed by British architect David Chipperfield.  The new building is a civic landmark in the heart of downtown Davenport, and enables the museum to further its mission as a community-centered arts institution.

 

 

 

Project Description

The new Figge Art Museum is the centerpiece of a major city and state redevelopment initiative.  The museum more than triples the size of the previous facility, with 50 percent of its public spaces dedicated to educational and social programming, as well as permanent collection galleries and special exhibitions galleries that makes the Figge one of the best venues for traveling art exhibitions in the Midwest.

 

Design Architect

David Chipperfield Architects, London

 

Architect of Record

Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture, Des Moines

 

Total Area

Museum:    100,000 square feet Parking:   35,000 square feet Plaza:   38,000 square feet

 

Project Cost

$46.9 million

 

Funding

$19.9 million – public funding $6.5 million – City of Davenport $13.4 million – Vision Iowa $13 million – Figge Foundation $18.6 million – Capital Campaign (Includes additional $1.25 million for inaugural year operating and exhibition costs)

 

Groundbreaking

September 2002

 

Opened

August 6, 2005

 

Design Features

The design was conceived as a monumental glass structure that would powerfully yet simply impact Davenport’s redeveloping riverfront – a simple volumetric block enveloped by opaque, transparent, and translucent surfaces. The building reinforces the historic city grid by filling one half of a previously empty city block.  An outdoor plaza provides for a sculpture garden and public gathering space, connecting the Figge visually with other cultural attractions in the downtown.  The distinctive building enclosure is pulled apart to create an inner and outer skin. The inner skin is composed of double-glazed glass and solid walls covered in perforated metal panels.  It is hermetically sealed to provide a stable shell for the environmentally controlled spaces inside. The outer skin is made of a single layer of fritted and clear glass and acts as a rain and wind screen.  The fritting provides a sense of depth and materiality to the facade, and also reduces heat gain. The combination of reflective, transparent and opaque surfaces will continuously transform the appearance of the facade in relation to the sun and changing cloud pattern.

 

 

Program Details

Art Exhibition Spaces    20,600 s.f. Permanent Collection Galleries   11,400 s.f. Print Gallery   2,200 s.f. Special Exhibition Galleries   7,000 s.f.       Educational Spaces   15,300 s.f. Orientation Galleries (4)   4,000 s.f. Learn to Look Gallery   300 s.f. Family Activity Center   900 s.f. Studio Classrooms (5)   4,000 s.f. Auditorium   2,100 s.f. Library and Resource Center   2,200 s.f. Community Gallery   1,800 s.f.       Public Service Spaces   47,300 s.f. Outdoor Plaza and Sculpture Garden   38,000 s.f. Public Lobby/Event Space   3,600 s.f. Museum Store   1,800 s.f. Restaurant   2,000 s.f. Winter Garden   1,900 s.f.

Project Team

Design Architect    David Chipperfield Architects, London Architect of Record   Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture, Des Moines, IA Construction Manager   Russell/Pepper Construction Company, LLC, Davenport, IA Design Structural Engineer   Jane Wernick Associates Ltd., London Structural Engineer   Charles Saul Engineering, Des Moines, IA Mechanical/Electrical Engineer   Ove Arup and Partners, London Civil Consultant   Missman Stanley & Associates, Rock Island, IL Curtainwall Consultant   W J Higgins and Associates, Wausau, WI Audio-Visual Consultant   Paul Smith, Technical Directions, Spicer, MN Graphics and Signage   Liska + Associates, Chicago, IL