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The Chrysler Museum of Art’s Plan for Coastal Resilience Highlighted by Virginia Mercury

Written by WPA on July 15, 2025. Posted in Architecture, Chrysler Museum, Civic, Glass Studio, Hampton Roads, NEON, Norfolk, Virginia, WPA.

As sea levels rise and sunny-day flooding becomes a familiar occurrence in Norfolk, the Chrysler Museum of Art is taking bold steps to protect its people, its collection, and its place in the community. A recent article in the Virginia Mercury details how the museum is confronting the climate crisis through a multi-phase master plan, which includes the recent completion of the Perry Glass Studio expansion.

Located at the edge of The Hague — a picturesque but increasingly flood-prone inlet of the Elizabeth River — the museum faces the kind of compounding environmental risks that are now confronting cultural institutions across the country. According to data cited in the article, more than a third of U.S. museums are located within 60 miles of a coastline, and many are unprepared for the damage that climate change is already delivering.

Work Program Architects (WPA) worked with the Chrysler to create a plan to meet these current and future challenges. The museum has already taken steps to modify its main building — installing deployable floodgates and relocating stored artwork to higher floors — but the museum’s most visible statement of intent is across the street: the new 21,000-square-foot addition to the Perry Glass Studio. Completed earlier this year, the $30 million expansion includes a host of resilient design strategies, from its elevation (four feet higher than the original studio) to its foundation, a system of 470 deep “rigid inclusions” that stabilize the soft, flood-prone soil beneath it.

The walkway to the new building winds through a sculptural rain garden that captures stormwater runoff and slows its release into the city’s strained stormwater system. The rain garden was intentionally designed so that visitors can experience the museum’s commitment to resilience firsthand.

“We didn’t want to hide the rain garden at the back of the property,” project architect Robert Crawshaw told the Mercury. “We wanted you to be immersed in the efforts that the Chrysler was doing.”

In a city that regularly sees tidal flooding without a drop of rain, the Chrysler’s willingness to adapt in place — rather than retreat — is both a practical and symbolic decision. “The Chrysler Museum is such a part of the identity of Norfolk in that location,” WPA co-founder and design principal Thom White told the Mercury. “The power of its connection to the community is worth keeping it there.”

Read the full story here.

The Wall Street Journal Spotlights the Perry Glass Studio’s Purpose-Driven Design

Written by WPA on June 27, 2025. Posted in Architecture, Chrysler Museum, Civic, Glass, Glass Studio, Norfolk, Reslience, Virginia, WPA, WPA Studio.

The expansion of the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio — designed by Work Program Architects — was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal in a glowing critique by architecture critic Michael J. Lewis. The piece, titled “The Perry Glass Studio’s Practical Power,” explores how the newly completed 24,000-square-foot expansion provides a different kind of experience to visitors.

The new studio is the latest step into glass art for a museum that knows the art form well — the Chrysler’s glass art collection spans over 10,000 objects and 3,000 years. As Lewis notes, the studio was designed for hands-on learning and public demonstration, reflecting a broader shift in museum culture, from passive viewing to active engagement. Its layout and features, writes Lewis, make the selected works on display “more comprehensible, even urgent.”

The article tracks the evolution of the building’s design. The Perry was originally envisioned as a glass-clad structure, but plans changed once the team confronted a core challenge of glassmaking: the need for stable, controlled lighting to monitor the subtle color changes in molten glass. Lewis paraphrases lead architect Rob Crawshaw while noting that the design evolved into a “straightforward, smoothly functioning workshop,” rather than a self-referential architectural statement.

Constructed from dark brick and light terracotta, the two-story building is elevated on a planted terrace to address site-level flooding. Its entrance is angled toward the main Chrysler building across the street, a subtle alignment that Lewis describes as a “genuflection” toward the museum, quoting Crawshaw. Inside, the central feature is a black-box theater hot shop with seating for 200, designed for both production and public demonstration.

Material choices reflect the studio’s industrial function. Exposed concrete floors, brick walls, and unfinished ceilings contribute to a space focused on making rather than display. Acoustic challenges were addressed through targeted sound-absorbing materials, allowing instruction to remain intelligible despite the constant roar of the furnaces.

Lewis concludes that the Perry Glass Studio succeeds as a highly effective and thoughtfully designed tool for education, production, and interpretation — helping visitors connect the physical act of glassblowing with the finished objects on display across the street.

Read the full article in The Wall Street Journal here.

Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab Named a ‘World Changing Idea’ by Fast Company

Written by WPA on June 10, 2025. Posted in Architecture, Civic, Education, Educational, Elizabeth River, Elizabeth River Project, ERP, Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia.

Work Program Architects is proud to share that the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab has been named a winner in Fast Company’s 2025 World Changing Ideas Awards. This national recognition honors bold, creative efforts that respond to society’s most pressing challenges, and this project’s message couldn’t be more urgent.

WPA was recognized alongside garbage-eating microbe technology developed at Harvard, a hydrogen-power data center created by ECL and the first-ever zero-plastic warehouse from Manifest.eco. Other architectural and design projects on the list include the Portland International Airport and the Hilda L. Solis Environmental Justice Center at Puente Hills Regional Park.

Fast Company noted that the resilience lab “not only used flood-proof materials but also integrated habitats like wetlands, oyster reefs, and native plants to naturally absorb floodwater, shield the structure from erosion, and protect its surroundings from pollution.” The recognition went on to write that “the natural habitats also serve as educational tools for the public, and the design itself can be a model for communities at risk of rising sea levels.”

“The Ryan Resilience Lab was designed as a global model for how communities can adapt to the realities of sea level rise and climate change,” says Sam Bowling, associate principal at Work Program Architects and project architect for the Lab. “That’s why it’s so meaningful to see it recognized by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea — this award spans the globe, just like the challenge we’re working to address.”

This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards featured more than 1,500 entries, with just 100 projects selected as winners. Submissions were judged by Fast Company editors and reporters for their impact, creativity, sustainability, and ability to improve lives. The Lab is included in the Summer 2025 print issue, on newsstands June 17.

“The World Changing Ideas Awards have always been about showcasing the art of the possible,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “We’re proud to recognize the organizations and leaders that are making meaningful progress on the biggest issues of our time.”

Check out the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab here.

NBC’s Today Show Takes Viewers on a Tour of the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab

Written by WPA on April 25, 2025. Posted in Architecture, Civic, Community, Elizabeth River, Elizabeth River Project, Environment, ERP, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

The Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab, designed by Work Program Architects, was recently featured on NBC’s Today show, bringing national attention to the Norfolk-based nonprofit’s groundbreaking model for climate resilience. The segment highlighted how the lab is providing both hope and inspiration for residents of coastal communities worldwide.

Consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen took viewers on a tour of the lab as part of the show’s climate coverage, noting how it “showcases inventive and practical ways homeowners and builders can design structures to endure severe weather and combat pollution.”

Situated along Knitting Mill Creek in Norfolk, the 6,500-square-foot lab was intentionally built within a flood zone to showcase real-world solutions to environmental challenges. The building incorporates features such as a floating entry pavilion, permeable parking surfaces, rainwater reuse systems, green roofs, and a living shoreline, each element contributing to its net-zero energy goals and resilience against rising tides.

“The thing we kept in mind from the very beginning was sustainability, resilience to flooding, and accessibility,” project architect Sam Bowling told Nguyen. “We wanted to make sure that every solution was something that someone could buy off the shelf, put together with parts [and] do it themselves or find someone locally who could do it for them.”

The lab, which opened in Spring of 2024, provides tours and programming year-round for anyone interested in learning more about the solutions included in the Today show report, as well as those just looking to connect with the river.

People who visit the lab “are so excited,” said Elizabeth River Project Founder Marjorie Mayfield Jackson. “They come back with their neighbors and friends and colleagues. It’s a new day on the Elizabeth River and I hope it’s giving hope around the world.”

For the full Today show segment above and here. Read more about the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab here.

Expanded Perry Glass Studio Reopens at the Chrysler Museum of Art

Written by WPA on April 14, 2025. Posted in Architecture, Arts & Design District, Chrysler Museum, Civic, Downtown Norfolk, Educational, Glass, Glass Studio, Hampton Roads, NEON, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

The Perry Glass Studio at the Chrysler Museum of Art has officially reopened following a $30 million expansion. The museum marked the occasion with a vibrant weekend of festivities that drew major media attention and hundreds of visitors. The grand opening included live glassblowing demonstrations by nationally recognized artists, a sold-out gala event, and a family-friendly festival featuring performances and hands-on activities.

In advance of the festivities, the expanded facility was featured across regional media outlets including 13News Now, WAVY, The Virginian-Pilot, and WHRO, all highlighting the studio’s striking transformation and its significance to Norfolk’s cultural landscape.

“It’s a dream come true to see it emerging fully finished and ready to go,” WPA’s Thom White told WAVY. “I think it will be huge. It will have the ability to reach a lot more visitors, to educate students and glassmaking and the arts around glass. It’s so versatile in the way that it can handle programming, whether that be productions in the theater, hot shop or this classroom.”

Work Program Architects led the design of the project, which more than tripled the size of the original studio and established it as a leading center for glass art in the U.S. The reimagined space includes a 190-seat amphitheater-style hot shop, dedicated classrooms, and state-of-the-art cold- and flame-working areas, all designed to accommodate a growing community of artists, students, and visitors. With a focus on transparency, accessibility, and environmental resilience, the expansion enhances both the creative and educational mission of the museum while preparing the site for future climate challenges.

Media coverage highlighted both the design and the experience it creates. 13News Now provided a behind-the-scenes video tour, while WAVY spotlighted the museum’s assistantship program, which is aided by the new space. In a written report, WHRO detailed the many ways community members, including university students, can utilize the facility to create their own works of art, while an episode of the station’s arts program, Curate, explored the studio and the artform, as well as the origins of the expansion.

“We interviewed several architectural firms up and down the east coast, from all the big cities,” said Robin Rogers, manager and program director for the Perry Glass Studio. “But it was a local firm, WPA, that really hit it out of the park.”

The Virginian-Pilot provided even more historical context to the recent developments, noting the glass studio’s beginnings as a 9,200-square-foot facility that “reached capacity after the huge demand due to the popular glassblowing classes and partnerships with local colleges and community organizations.”

“The workshops allow visiting and in-house artists to create new and innovative artwork on full display to visitors,” project architect Robert Crawshaw told The Virginian-Pilot. “And spaces throughout the expansion present opportunities for the museum to display these works.”

Watch and read coverage of the opening from WAVY, 13News Now, The Virginian-Pilot and WHRO. Read more about the project here.

Chrysler Museum of Art Preps New Perry Glass Studio Expansion

Written by WPA on September 10, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Blog, Chrysler Museum, Civic, Glass, Glass Studio, NEON, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

Phase 1 of the new Perry Glass Studio expansion and renovation at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk is nearing completion. The oven has been fired and university classes and demonstrations have been scheduled for the fall as the builders shift their focus to the renovation of the museum’s original glass studio, the second and final phase of the $55 million project.

The Chrysler recently invited Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander and other city leaders, as well as a number of journalists, to take a sneak peek of the new space alongside Chrysler Director Erik Neil and Perry Glass Studio Manager and Program Director Robin Rogers.

“Everyone at the museum is very excited,” Rogers told WAVY. “We’ve been giving some hard-hat tours, and everyone that’s come through has been thrilled to see the space and just anxious to bring their families and get in here in person.”

The expansion, designed by WPA, features three hot shops, dedicated classrooms and a 200-seat amphitheater theater for teaching and performance. Visitors to the expanded facility will be able to witness the glass-making process, learn the history of glass as an artistic medium, and view the museum’s growing collection of glass art.

“There are only a few of these facilities in the world,” WPA CEO Mel Price told 13 News Now. “So in order to prepare ourselves to really bring an internationally significant building to Norfolk, my partner Thom [White] traveled all over the world to visit the best facilities [and] met with the curators.”

The expansion and renovation are also specifically designed to accommodate the artists who will work at the studio.

“We spent time here,” Mel said. “We took every single class here because we had to know what the artists were experiencing to be able to design.”

The entirety of the 33,000-square-foot Perry Glass Studio is expected to open to the public in early-spring of next year.

Watch the complete segments on WAVY and 13 News Now, and read a full report at The Virginian-Pilot.

WAVY offers a sneak peek at the new William A. Hunton YMCA in Norfolk

Written by WPA on August 7, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Civic, Hampton Roads, Hunton YMCA, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

The William A. Hunton YMCA and Work Program Architects have revealed designs for a new facility that will support the YMCA’s ongoing role as a resource and safe haven for families living in and around South Hampton Roads. The facility, located at 1045 E. Brambleton Avenue, will also serve as a gateway and key landmark for the transformed St. Paul’s neighborhood in downtown Norfolk.

As WAVY noted in a recent segment on the project, the Hunton YMCA is the oldest independent YMCA and one of four Heritage YMCA’s in the United States, established when People of Color were denied access to other YMCA facilities. The new facility will build on Hunton’s 150-year history, promoting health and wellness while enhancing its continuing mission to provide early childhood education, as well as community meeting spaces and programs to teach life skills.

Highlights of the design include separate areas for upper and lower schools, a library, kitchen and cafetorium, reception, administrative offices, a full-size gymnasium, an outdoor swimming pool, and facilities for health services, seniors, and civic and community gatherings. A private courtyard will embrace an arbor of mature trees and feature a natural playground.

WPA collaborated with community members, as well as Hunton staff and board members, to arrive at the design for the new facility.

The project has been made possible by the sale of the previous Hunton Y to the City of Norfolk, which will be demolishing the old facility to make way for the Blue Greenway, a 22-acre resilience park that will serve the Kindred and St. Paul’s community.

Additional funding will be provided through a capital campaign, which is scheduled to kick off later this year. It is hoped construction can begin in 2025, with completion in 2026.

View the full report from WAVY here.

View the project page here.

Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab Is a Finalist in Fast Company’s 2024 Innovation by Design Awards

Written by WPA on July 23, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Awards, Civic, Elizabeth River, Elizabeth River Project, Environment, ERP, Innovation, Norfolk, Urban Design, Virginia, WPA.

The innovative structure is designed to help the world’s urban coastal residents protect themselves – and nature – as sea levels rise.

The Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab was recently honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for 2024. The Norfolk project, designed by Work Program Architects (WPA), was recognized as a finalist in the competition’s Urban Design category, alongside the Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts in Houston. Omaha’s Riverfront Revitalization was this year’s winner in the category.

The Innovation by Design Awards, which can be found online and in the Summer 2024 issue of Fast Company, honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The competition, now in its 13th year, features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and promising young talent. It is one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry.

The Ryan Resilience Lab was designed by WPA to house operations for the Elizabeth River Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the Elizabeth River, and to showcase what the future of sustainable coastal living might look like.

“This recognition highlights the importance of this project and the valuable contribution the Elizabeth River Project is making to the restoration, sustainability and resilience of coastal communities around the world,” says WPA CEO Mel Price. “It is also a testament to the hard work that the team at WPA put into this project and the brilliance of the project’s architect, Sam Bowling.”

The lab was intentionally constructed inside a flood zone along one of Norfolk’s busiest commercial corridors and flanked by multiple residential neighborhoods. Inside and out, visitors will find ways to live sustainably and prepare for rising tides. Everything from the floating entry pavilion and storage shed to a “living shoreline” instead of a hardened shore, an 80,000-watt solar energy system, 10 gallons or rainwater collected and re-used in the toilets and a permeable parking lot to keep polluted runoff from reaching the river. Meanwhile, green roofs and walls covered in vegetation reduce runoff and conserve energy in winter and summer.

“This year’s honorees show how essential creativity is to the process of innovation,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “It’s inspiring to see how some of the best minds across industries are using design to shape our world for the better.”

The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.

Earlier this summer, WPA gathered with the Elizabeth River Project and members of the community to celebrate the opening of the lab. View WTKR coverage of the event here.

WPA in the News

Written by WPA on March 5, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Blog, Civic, Commercial, Community, Downtown Norfolk, Education, Elizabeth River Project, Environment, ERP, Glass Studio, Norfolk, NSU, Virginia, WPA, WPA Studio.

The recent Inside Business article Architecture firm designs a ‘labor of love’ discusses our design process,

The Ryan Resilience Lab is nearing completion

Written by WPA on November 10, 2023. Posted in Architecture, Civic, Community, Education, Elizabeth River Project, Environment, ERP, Norfolk, Reslience, Virginia.

The Ryan Resilience Lab is nearing completion in the North Colley area of Norfolk. The new lab is located on Knitting Mill Creek and slated for a spring grand opening. There are a number of “preview events” during the month of November, go to elizabethriver.org for more information. WTKR recently toured the new Resilience Lab. Click here to see the segment.