About the facility

When a catastrophic Iowa River flood in 2008 wiped out most of the University of Iowa's arts campus, including the original Art Building that opened in 1936, the University of Iowa chose world-famous architect Steven Holl to design an accompaniment to his celebrated Art Building West.

The Visual Arts Building opened in 2016, earning acclaim from architects and educators worldwide—and most important, from the students, faculty, staff, and guests of the School of Art, Art History, and Design who create, study, work, and grow within its walls. The Visual Arts Building garnered major accolades including:

• Interior Design Magazine Best of the Year Award Winner - Education, United States, 2016
• Architect's Newspaper "Building of the Year", Midwest, 2016 
• WIRED magazine- one of the 25 best pieces of architecture in the world in 2016 
• 2017 AIA New York Honor Award
• 2017 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Prize

Among other major press recognition, the New York Times featured the Visual Arts Building in these articles:

• "The Innovative Campus"
• "Millions of Square Feet, Billions of Dollars: An Arts Universe Expands"