New Art Building Coming Fall 2026

Rendering of new art building by Lever Architecture. The building is green with large windows and is viewed from the Park Blocks.

Our dreams are becoming a reality as plans for a new home for the Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design move forward. The four-story mass timber building will bring our programs, now operating out of several locations across campus, together under one roof for the first time in decades. Plans feature an outdoor courtyard/work yard, a dual-purpose lecture hall and event space, classrooms, studios, labs, and two galleries, with gathering and study spaces for our community throughout the building.

Designed by Lever Architecture, who worked with Timberlab, the construction features sustainably sourced local timber, which is prefabricated for faster construction and cost reduction. Construction begins September 2024 with plans to welcome our students and the community to our new home in the fall of 2026.

Take a brief tour! All renderings are courtesy of Lever Architecture:

Architectural rendering showing park side elevation.
View of the Park Blocks facade with courtyard at center. The building will be located between Shattuck Hall (left) and the Native American Student and Community Center (right).
Architectural rending of main floor commons.
Main floor commons with a view to the courtyard.
Architectural rendering of study nook.
Study nooks and gathering spaces will be sprinkled throughout the building.
Architectural rending of a typical hallway
View of a typical corridor with display space.
Architectural rendering of a typical classroom
View of a typical Art Practice studio.
Architectural rending of a typical graphic design classroom
View of a typical Graphic Design classroom.
Architectural rendering of emerging technology classroom
View of our Emerging Technology classroom.
Architectural rending of "creative suite" student gathering and workspace.
View of the Creative Suite: A student gathering, work, resource, and study space.
Architectural rending of Broadway facade at night.
View of the Broadway facade at night with our main gallery on the corner at street level. The building is situated on a portion of the Green Loop, a proposed 6-mile linear park for pedestrians and bikes that will encircle the central city.

 

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