Maki's first completed project, Steinberg Hall, was built by him in 1960, when a Japanese architect was teaching at the University of Washington. The function of the new building was the storage and exhibition of works of art from the extensive collection of the university. Over the past almost half a century, this construction has remained Maki's only work in the United States. But now that his new wing of the UN headquarters complex is being built and his design for one of the towers of the new World Trade Center has been approved, it is important to note that it was at the initial geographical point of his architectural career that the implementation of his projects was completed, with which Maki returned to America.
Two new buildings - the Kemper Museum of Art and Walker Hall - will be part of the new university's School of Design and Visual Arts, formed last year and combining the university's architecture and art departments. In addition to these two buildings, its ensemble also includes two reconstructed buildings of the early 20th century and the Steinberg Hall converted into an educational building.
Its function as a university exhibition gallery was taken over by the Kemper Museum. Its area is three times the capacity of its predecessor and is 6,000 sq. m. The walls of its central hall, covered with a semi-cylindrical vault, from the ends are glass curtain walls, where the entrances to the museum are arranged. Restrained, almost minimalist architecture in the spirit of classic modernism, limestone used for the decoration of facades and interiors create a laconic interior space suitable for the exhibition of works of art of almost any period and direction.
Walker Hall serves a more utilitarian function. This educational building should accommodate the workshops of students - both future sculptors and artists, as well as wood and metal craftsmen. Its outer walls are lined with limestone, while the interior is white plastered walls and a free plan that can be modified according to the needs of the students.
