UC Davis Manetti Shrem Museum
An iconic building, at once bold and intimate, the Shrem Museum of Art is a showcase for UC Davis’ artistic legacy and a platform for collective learning, creation and experimentation that celebrates the unique climate of northern California’s Sacramento Valley.
The design is conceived as a single unifying gesture of a folded roof plane, with the corners lifted to create two facades: an open and transparent entry facing inwards towards the campus and a more closed façade that creates a billboard for people passing by on the adjacent highway. Inside, the museum’s formal galleries are organized along one axis, while more intimate and informal experiences form a second axis. At the intersection of the two, a double-height lobby opens onto the Art Tribune, a rising sequence of displays, platforms and seating integrated with the main stair.
Landscape stitches the building to the site through a series of outdoor rooms that also puncture the building along its two defining axes. These courtyards and terraces complement the museum’s interior while introducing native vegetation, natural light and ventilation.
