SJSU art museum

This new museum at the San Jose State University proposes a floating volume, hovering weightlessly above the ground and cantilevered out over the campus. The floating effect of the building is achieved, structurally, through “Story Isolation,” which also describes the distribution of program in alternating layers of solid and open floor levels. By raising the closed volume of the museum above a transparent glass lobby, views are preserved into and out of an existing courtyard. The entire building is clad in perforated corrugated copper, and will exhibit a changing character throughout the day. The museum location, material and form create a strong presence on the campus. Visible from multiple directions, the entrance dramatically attracts visitors both day and night.