Skowhegan Director's Compound
Skowhoegan, Maine
2000
3,000 square feet

This 3,000 square-foot administration building for the Skowhegan School of Art, located in a rural area of Maine, was built from the ground up on a limited budget. The building houses the offices of the director and administrative assistants, an art supply store, snack kiosk, and computer facilities. It is used in the summer as part of an emerging artists’ retreat.

The architectural intention of this modest building is to unify and emphasize a sense of horizontality in relation to the gentle lines of the landscape. This was achieved by designing a low-slung and volumetric roof held up by the thinnest wood posts structurally allowable. The effect created was of a floating roof that protects the space underneath it. The rhythm created by the wood posts is subtly repeated by repositioning existing boulders in front of the building. All building components are off-the shelf to facilitate its construction at very low cost. Under the gently sloped roof is an open front porch where students congregate and socialize, a screened back porch where administrators have semi-private meetings, and three distinct, enclosed spaces housing the remaining program.