The Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion at the Joslyn Art Museum adds 42,000 sq ft of gallery space, expanding the museum’s footprint by 40% while reinforcing its role as an iconic cultural landmark. Designed to complement the historic campus, the pavilion draws inspiration from the Great Plains and creates a thoughtful transition between architectural eras.

Wells provided a solution that brought the pavilion’s curved geometry and refined exterior to life. Custom facade elements were engineered to balance visual lightness with durability, supporting the sculpted forms and maintaining architectural intent while ensuring long-term performance. The integrated facade system creates material continuity with the original marble, while horizontal lines and regional cues ground the pavilion in its Nebraska context.