A “Magnificent” Building Designed to Awaken Creativity

Described as a “visual arts masterpiece,” the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center is the new home for Christopher Newport University’s (CNU) Department of Fine Arts and Art History. The 83,000-square-foot, three-story building features an expansive main gallery for major exhibitions, a 150-seat auditorium, a museum shop, a community gallery, classrooms, and studios. The center is adjacent to the Ferguson Center for the Arts, CNU’s renowned theater and concert hall. A new outdoor museum space has been created between the two buildings.

The design of the Torggler Center complements the classical aesthetic of the Neo-Georgian campus while creating a bold modern statement with a dramatic series of cascading glass domes at the main entry. Mueller designed new HVAC systems that accommodate the building’s varied functions, including industrial workspaces such as the kiln studio and paint spray booths that require specialized exhaust systems and additional filtration. In addition, the design of the HVAC systems supplies adequate humidity and temperature control within the large, two-story gallery at the heart of the building and minimizes the visual intrusion of air diffusers within the soaring glass domes.