the southern utah university’s beverley taylor sorenson center for the arts campus has inaugurated brooks + scarpa‘s 28,000 square foot southern utah museum of art (SUMA). the $39.1 million project includes a campus for visual and performing arts, live theatre, arts education, hosts exhibitions from around the world and is home to a special collection of the work by utah artist, jim jones.

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

 

 

influenced by the dramatic sandstone formations at nearby bryce canyon and mt. zion national park, the brooks + scarpa-designed building features a canyon-like roof that covers the entire building as well as an additional 6000 square feet of exterior under roof event space. the 120 foot cantilevered roof to the west creates a covered exterior social space while protecting the entire west facing glass façade from direct solar gain and glare. this unfettered movement from inside to outside cultivates an atmosphere of leisure while simultaneously providing shade to protect the art inside and still allowing for spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © ale scarpa / brooks + scarpa

 

 

not only does the roof protect the exterior space from the environment, it is also designed to collect snowmelt and stormwater runoff. it pitches and bends in two directions into canyon like form directing water to openings at each end of the building where the stormwater and snow melt can be seen from the street running off the roof and down the building façade, then disappearing into concealed wells at base of the structure where it is collected and re-charge back into the aquifer.

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public image © dino misetic / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the publicimage © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public image © dino misetic / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © alan blakely / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © alan blakely / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © alan blakely / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © alan blakely / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © tim hursley / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © ale scarpa / brooks + scarpa

brooks + scarpa's southern utah museum of art opens to the public
image © alan blakely / brooks + scarpa