Machado Silvetti Clads Florida Museum Extension in Over 3,000 Green Ceramic Tiles
Photo: © Anton Grassl/Esto.
US firm Machado Silvetti has used jade-coloured terra cotta tiles to sheath an extension to the historic campus of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. Commonly known as The Ringling, it is one of the largest museum-university complexes in America. The 7,500-square-foot addition is part of the Centre for Asian Art. The expansion is intended to accommodate the museum’s growing collection of Asian art, from Chinese pottery to Japanese woodblock prints.
The building is sheathed in more than 3,000 deep-green tiles made of glazed terra cotta. The distinctive cladding was conceived in response to the client’s request for a “new monumental entrance,” said Boston-based Machado Silvetti. “The tiles provide a high-performance, visually striking building envelope that redefines the functionality of the surrounding site,” the firm said, noting that the cladding helps activate an existing courtyard. To develop the tiles’ colour and form, as well as the installation strategy, the firm collaborated closely with Boston Valley Terra Cotta.
