Professor Troy Schaum of Schaum Architects is leading the restoration of the artillery sheds at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, in collaboration with landscape architect and assistant professor Maggie Tsang, managing principal and cofounder of Dept. Built in 1939 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the two former military buildings were adapted by Donald Judd beginning in 1980 to house his 100 untitled works in mill aluminum (1982–1986), one of the clearest realizations of his ideas about the relationship between art, architecture, light, and landscape.
The restoration will address the buildings’ aging infrastructure while preserving the distinctive environmental conditions that shape the experience of Judd’s work. Planned interventions include repairs to the roofs and façades, new gutters and trench drains, replacement of Judd’s quartered windows, improved accessibility, and landscape restoration. The project will also introduce low-energy environmental strategies, including passive air circulation, energy-efficient glazing, and rainwater collection, allowing the sheds to respond to increasingly intense heat and rainfall without introducing visible mechanical systems.