As the Heard Museum expands its reach with its mission of “One Museum, Many Places”, HM West was developed to align with the expanding population of the City of Surprise. With its rapid growth and desire for multiple cultural venues, the project kicks off a long range plan for engaging an emerging community with established arts and culture traditions of downtown Phoenix. The campus doubles as a gateway to the new civic centre with generous exterior gathering spaces for festivals, farmer’s markets and informal outdoor events in addition to serving its role as a traditional interpretive/educational institution.

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Voted “Best Public Building 2006” by Southwest Contractor Magazine, the solution unfolds with a campus scheme of multiple buildings on a desert site housing permanent collections, changing exhibits, retail spaces and classrooms all reached through shaded exterior walkways. The design adheres to a series of strict Planned Area Development guidelines while expressing materials in unique ways: such as a terra cotta rain screen system, rebar canopies, and exposed wood soffits.  The arrangement of masses and selection of materials fostered multiple conversations testing pre-conceived notions of architectural context in the southwest. As the city continues to evolve, future phases anticipate artist studios, additional galleries, a library, public meeting rooms and an open café.

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“The Heard Museum opened its satellite facility in Surprise this week, and, as usual with the Heard, it has done a splendid job. With a compact but stylish building designed by Holly Street Studio, it manages to fit together gallery, classroom, offices, storage and gift shop in roughly the amount of space you might find in one of the larger multicar garages in Paradise Valley.”

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Richard Nilsen, The Arizona Republic, Jun. 25, 2006