Although the new building is located on the campus, it appears to be in a secluded park. The building seems to be thrown over a small shady body of water, like a bridge to infinity. It was built next to limestone cliffs overgrown with greenery, among weeping willows. Such an environment is quite consistent with the "high" purpose of the new housing. The University of Iowa was the first to issue higher education degrees in the arts, and in the 1930s gained fame in the United States, combining art and art studies programs in its School. This interdisciplinary educational model is physically embodied in the Hall building: its solution is based on a system of interconnected dynamic internal zones with blurred boundaries. The corten glass and steel building is inscribed in the general scheme of the university campus, creating new recreational spaces and connections with the natural landscape around it. Even before the opening of the building, its open terrace around the pond became a popular gathering place for students and residents of the surrounding houses.
There is a library in a wing overhanging the pond. The main building houses the main and small auditoriums, workshops, an exhibition hall, administration premises and a dining room.
The visitor approaches the building along a path that follows the bend of the pond bank, enters the main atrium and ascends to the upper floors via an open red steel staircase. The corridors of the building are delimited by glass partitions so that those passing through them can see students working on their works.
The concrete roof panels are angled so that even and diffused sunlight from the north side can penetrate through the glazed openings in the ceilings.
On the terrace by the pond, there is a sculpture by Richard Artschwager, created by him especially for the new building.
