The Center for Asian Art at Ringling Museum of Art / Machado Silvetti

Architects: Machado Silvetti
Area: 2,370 m²
Year: 2016
Photography: Anton Grassl | Esto
Civil Engineers: AM Engineering, Inc.
Landscape Architects: DWY Landscape Architects
Lighting Design: Lam Partners, Inc
Structural Engineers: Stirling and Wilbur Engineering Group
Exterior Envelope Engineering: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
MEP/FP/AV/IT/SEC: TLC Engineering for Architecture
Local Consultant Architect: Sweet Sparkman Architects
Specifications: Kalin Associates, Inc
Code Consultants: RJA Associates
Terra-Cotta Fabrication: Boston Valley Terra Cotta
Geotechnical Engineers: Universal Engineering Sciences
Client: Florida State University, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
City: Sarasota
Country: United States

The Center for Asian Art at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida, designed by Machado Silvetti, spans 2,370 m², combining renovated gallery space with a 697 m² addition. The deep-green terra cotta façade makes for a striking entrance that complements the historic architecture of the Ringling Estate. The Center expands the museum’s capacity to showcase its Asian art collection, featuring new galleries, a lecture hall, and study rooms to enhance its research and educational mission as part of Florida State University’s museum network.

The center for asian art at ringling museum of art / machado silvetti

Located on the 66-acre Ringling Estate, the Center for Asian Art joins a complex originally founded by art collector John Ringling and his wife, Mable. Now under Florida State University, the estate includes landmarks like the Venetian-Gothic Cà d’Zan mansion, the Tibbals Learning Center, the John M. McKay Visitors Pavilion, the Johnson/Blalock Education and Conservation Building, and the Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing. The Ringling Museum’s early goal of building a significant Asian art collection has evolved into one of the largest museum-university collaborations in the U.S.

The center for asian art at ringling museum of art / machado silvetti

The new Asian Art Study Center combines a renovation of 1,673 m² of the West Wing galleries with a 697 m² addition. This transformation converted the temporary exhibition spaces into permanent galleries for the Asian art collection, adding new gallery areas, a lecture hall, study storage, and seminar rooms for students and scholars, enhancing the museum’s research capacity.

The addition’s exterior is clad in deep-green glazed terra cotta tiles, designed to create a striking, monumental entrance that harmonizes with the museum’s natural setting and landscape. Its chiseled tile façade references the ceramic detailing of the historic Cà d’Zan mansion. Machado Silvetti collaborated with Boston Valley Terra Cotta on custom tile production, achieving a color and installation method that enhances both durability and visual impact. The over 3,000 tiles form a high-performance building envelope that reshapes the surrounding courtyard, addressing circulation and infrastructure needs while complementing the site’s functionality.

The center for asian art at ringling museum of art / machado silvetti
Project Gallery
Project Location

Address: 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, Florida 34243, United States

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