VJAA Turns Copper and Daylight into Chemistry at Minnesota's Fraser Hall

Fraser Hall's new copper-clad wing blocks 40 percent of direct summer sun while keeping its facade 60 percent open — a balance that lets daylight reach 15 teaching labs even in Minnesota's dark winter months. The University of Minnesota commissioned local firm VJAA, working with executive architect BWBR, to build what the project's proponents call arguably the finest chemistry instruction building in the country.

The building opened in late 2025 on the East Bank bluffs of the Mississippi River. VJAA incorporated the original Fraser Hall law school building, erected in 1929, into a new 121,718-square-foot wing. The redbrick original now houses two lecture halls on the first floor and two teaching labs above. It faces east toward the campus core and Northrop Mall, planned by Minnesota-born architect Cass Gilbert. VJAA's new building turns west, with views across the Mississippi to downtown Minneapolis.

The reversal was deliberate. After a century of campus growth along the river, Fraser Hall completes a cohesive building wall along the bluff. The reorientation also improves paths, lighting, grades, and circulation. By demolishing a jumble of additions to the old law school, the project opens new pedestrian connections west to the River Road parkway.

Riverfront Design

The new building sits at an angle to its block, wedged between the riverfront street and the existing structure. Its massing breaks into two bars that trace the river's subtle curve. The western facade carries custom vertical, perforated-metal louvers.

Height restrictions drove the structural system. Jennifer Yoos, VJAA's president, described the challenge of fitting required teaching labs and mechanical systems within height limits set by the historic context. VJAA shifted from steel to concrete, exposing structure and eliminating ceiling plenums to reduce floor-to-floor heights.

The vertical detailing references the campus's Neoclassical past. "We were particularly interested in the vertical textures and rhythms in the historic structures on Northrop Mall, from the intimate scale of column fluting to the depth of layered facades," Yoos said. That fluting reappears in the soft, rounded forms of the river-facing louvers.

Along the building's southern face, Yoos pointed to the copper skin: "You can see this historic reference in the development of these embossed, corrugated, textured copper shingles stacked between vertical battens." The battens echo the rhythm of column lines and will develop patina over time.

Three Zones of Activity

The plan divides into three linear zones: 15 teaching labs in the new building, plus three in the old law school, face the Mississippi to the west, with collaboration areas and circulation to the east. The wide, linear corridors on the top three floors replace a maze of narrow passages. They function as long public spaces filled with morning sunlight, lined with wood-slatted benches running the building's entire length. Radiant heating beneath the benches warms students who arrive early after long winter walks.

The South Stair Tower connects all levels with a five-story integrated glass artwork by Dyani White Hawk, a Minnesota-based Lakota artist whose solo show at the Walker Art Center coincided with the building's opening. Students and staff contributed ideas for color and form, and Yoos said the work "is such an important part of the building's experience that it inspired our selection of interior colors and finishes."

A Teaching Model Built Into the Plan

The design reflects nearly 15 years of faculty programming. David Blank, the department's associate dean and Distinguished University Teaching Professor, said faculty began asking what architecture might best serve students almost 15 years ago, sketching labs adjacent to collaboration spaces. The built result closely matches their schematic concepts. BWBR led lab-planning workshops to coordinate lab design, course schedules, and workflows.

Blank describes the pedagogy the plan supports: "there is a lot of movement between the collaborative spaces [used for problem-solving, presentations, and planning experiments] and the labs for experimental execution." Students may repeat that cycle several times in a single class period, and safety requirements demanded clear sightlines for teaching assistants.

"The days of standing alone at a lab bench following a set of instructions are gone," Blank said. "This is about learning how to ask good questions and then pursue those questions with well-designed experiments."

The faculty's goal extends beyond chemistry majors. The department envisioned an inclusive hub welcoming students long intimidated by the subject into introductory courses. "These next-level skills are central to the future success of our students," Blank said. "This is about learning how to think."