Institutional projects
My institutional experience has been broad, including corporate offices, dance studios and churches. Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina has engaged my services over the last 10 years for a series of completed and current projects.
Pines Portico . campus focal point
The commission to design the focal point of Penland’s campus was won in an invited competition of 64 architect/artist teams. Collaborating with internationally known Chapel Hill sculptor, Patrick Dougherty, I designed the new front porch and gathering space at the entry to Penland’s Pines Dining Hall. The light steel structure and translucent roof provide shelter and sunlight to animate Patrick’s stickwork sculpture.
Dail Dixon and Patrick Daugherty – competition team. Dail Dixon – principal in charge and project architect while at Dixon Weinstein Architects (Weinstein Friedlein Architects, successor firm)
Dorm 54 . contextual housing
Dorm 54 - railing detail
Nestled in the historic, core campus of the Penland School of Crafts, Dorm 54 provides accommodations for 16 students. The building’s forms refer to nearby National Register structures in a contemporary, but respectful, design partnership. The entry bridge allows preservation of existing grades and vegetation, preserving the site and helping to weave the new building into its context.
Dail Dixon – principal in charge and project architect for while at Dixon Weinstein Architects (Weinstein Friedlein Architects, successor firm)
Dora's Place . current work
A beautiful mountain pond and Dora’s historic house provide the setting for a Guesthouse and Sleeping Cabins. The recently completed Guesthouse frames the historic house and creates a backdrop for re interpretation of Dora’s legendary garden. Located on a gentle hillside across the pond, the Sleeping Cabins will provide simple housing for studio assistants. Five cabins, each with a unique roof shape, will be linked by a boardwalk and built on pole structures to preserve the site.
On the Boards
Addition to the Penland Gallery – a bridge
The master plan for expansion of the Penland Gallery, will add two new gallery spaces and a sculpture court and convert existing housing on the second floor to administrative use. The completed phase 1 lobby provides gathering space and the connector for future galleries, inviting access from the campus side.