The building complements the West Arts Building, also designed by Stephen Hall, which was erected on campus in 2006, but the architect received a second order through a competition and not by default. In 2008, the campus was badly damaged by floods: the West Building was finished only in 2012, and the main building for the School of Arts (1936) was so destroyed that it was decided to keep it as a monument and move its functions to a new building. On 11,700 m2 of its area, there are workshops for ceramics, sculptures, works with metal, photography, engraving, 3D multimedia, studios for graduate students, offices of teachers and other employees, exhibition halls.
If the Western building facing the pond and partially protruding above the water merged with the landscape, then the new Hall building, on the contrary, lets the environment inside - through a series of "cutouts" ("centers of light") with glass walls, the central of which serves as an atrium and the main space for communication and casual meetings of students of different specialties. Since modern artistic practice is often based on a combination of different techniques and disciplines, such contacts are very important for students. The same purpose is served by the vistas opened by "cutouts" between different floors and workshops, as well as the glazed partitions of the studios facing the public and circulation zones, allowing you to look inside.
By shifting the tiers horizontally around the cutouts, open and closed terraces and balconies are created for relaxation and study. The architects hope that they will attract as many students as the public areas and the Western Building Library, which at one time attracted visitors from all over the university even before the official opening of the building. In addition, the main “cutout” atrium of the new building is located on the popular route through the campus, which will attract the attention of students from other departments to art classes and exhibitions.
The facades are covered with titanium-zinc and glass, from the south they are protected from the sun's rays by perforated stainless steel panels. The project also includes a green roof and an internal water-based heating and cooling system. The ceilings are made of lightweight concrete (material savings - 30% compared to typical monolithic concrete). Opening windows provide natural ventilation.
