Project description:
The Palos Verde Art Center in Palos Verde, California, is a building where art is created, viewed, and experienced. The site is at the suburban intersection of two lightly trafficked roads, with a slope of 15 degrees. Artists’ studios and galleries are organized on either side of two gently curved parallel travertine walls, which bound an open courtyard for circulation. Openings on either side of the courtyard frame the gallery and studios for access by visitors. The composition is anchored by two intersecting large-scale mural surfaces, intended to be given over to artists on a rotating basis. The first mural sits on the building facade and frames the four artists’ studios. The second mural sits at the end of the internal courtyard and is framed by the curving cor-ten steel walls. The view to this mural will unfold as visitors enter and move through the site. Competition entry, 1999.
