SCAD

Academic Building & Museum of Art

Lord Aeck Sargent collaborated with SCAD to design a multi-functional facility supporting SCAD's mission to excel in fine arts, applied arts, and architectural education. The facility includes an Education Wing with open studios, AV-enhanced classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium shared with the Museum, and a Museum Wing that houses the Evans and Newton Collections and offers expansive gallery space for exhibitions. The design integrates modern construction with the historic ruins of the depot, emphasizing materials like precast concrete and mullionless glazing against the backdrop of the existing brick walls. The project, undertaken in association with local architect Neil Dawson and city master planner Sottile & Sottile, rejuvenates the Old North Sheds area, introducing an Art Walk and Sculpture Courtyard, and revitalizes the Turner Street edge.

LOCATION

Savannah, GA

SERVICES

Full Architectural and Interior Design

SIZE

96,000 sf

PROJECT TYPE

Adaptive Reuse, Learning Spaces, Museum, Arts

AWARDS

American Institute of Architects
Honor Award

Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Excellence in Preservation Award, 2013

International Interior Design Assoc. (IIDA) - Georgia
Education & Research Forum Award, 2012

"The project is stunning and the galleries provide SCAD wonderful new opportunities in which to fulfill our mission."

— Martin Smith, Executive Director for Design and New Construction

Like the collections it holds, the architectural concepts explored in the design of the SCAD Museum of Art are an exercise in contrasts. This site-specific solution for The Museum is a contemporary structure, rising up out of the ruinous masonry walls of former Central of Georgia Up-Freight Warehouse.

Inside the facility, a dynamic contrast unfolds with a variety of educational spaces, including art and architecture studios, classrooms, and a 250-seat auditorium, showcasing a blend of academic and curatorial offerings, textures, and cultures.