Since the Tyler School of Art of Temple University was founded in the early 1930s, the school occupied a bucolic suburb in North Philadelphia. Tyler’s scattered residential-scaled buildings had, by 2003, fallen in disrepair leading the University to relocate its renowned art school to their Main campus in downtown Philadelphia. This sweeping move was two-fold: to provide Tyler with a centralized and updated facility and to bring the school to the main campus and center city.

The 250,000 square foot building consists of a full basement (photography, woodshops, lecture hall and mechanical spaces), a first level (lobby, admissions, main school gallery, ceramics, sculpture and glass studios), a second level (metals, jewelry, printing, graphics, fibers and foundation studios), and a north facing third-level attic (drawing and painting studios). All of Tyler’s academies retain their distinct spaces within a cohesive whole interwoven by a generous two-level promenade. Though constructed under a very limited budget, the design solution incorporates “state of the art” equipment, sustainable mechanical systems, high-energy efficiency windows, along with modest yet durable materials enhanced by a rich interplay of color and light.