Conceptual extension to Whitney Museum of American Art by Axis Mundi

New York architecture practice Axis Mundi have designed a conceptual extension to the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan, featuring a giant lattice structure.

The existing museum is a 1960s concrete building by Marcel Breuer and Axis Mundi claim the extension’s exposed concrete frame would be a continuation of Breuer’s brutalist aesthetic.

The extension would have an irregular floor plan configured around sight lines that look towards landmarks such as the Empire State Building.

The floors would be suspended between the lattice structure without the need for interior columns.

At street level a pathway would weave between an outdoor cafe, performance space, sculptures and up to a viewing platform overlooking the Hudson River.

All illustrations are by Denise Pereira and Andy Vann.

Click above for larger image.

All renders by Viviane Liao and Andy Vann.

Here’s some more from the architects:

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Architectural Provocateurs Axis Mundi Imagine a Different Whitney Downtown

New York architects Axis Mundi have re-imagined the Whitney Downtown Museum with a self-initiated proposal that is raw and provocative, and as bold in spirit as the original Breuer building on Madison Avenue.

In the early 1960’s, when Marcel Breuer received the commission for the Whitney, he asked “What should a museum look like, a museum in Manhattan? Surely it should work, it should fulfill its requirements, but what is its relationship to the New York landscape? What does it express, what is its architectural message?” He stated “It is easier to say first what it should not look like. It should not look like a business or office building, nor should it look like a place of light entertainment. Its form and its material should have identity and weight. It should be an independent and self-relying unit, exposed to history, and at the same time it should transform the vitality of the street into the sincerity and profundity of art.”

With an intense sculptural presence, the Axis Mundi design represents an historical extension of the Whitney’s commitment to innovative architecture, much as its polygonal windows and raw surfaces pay homage to the original Breuer fenestration and its formal brutalism.

Invisible Sight Lines Organize Program

The site is located at the beginning of the High Line, at the intersection of Washington and Gansevoort Streets. Axis Mundi sought to ground the new building in a web of “historical axes” which form and organize the program. The plan is based on a series of sight lines extending to 10th Avenue, the Empire State Building, the Whitney on Madison, and the location of the original Whitney on West 10th Street.

Galleries Suspended in a Lattice

A desire for column-free galleries led the architects to create a perimeter superstructure to contain the staircases, escalators, elevators, and mechanical rooms. This structural lattice allows the galleries to float freely, suspended like bridges, unimpeded by a typical grid structure. The lattice allows light to flood the building in unexpected and dramatic ways, heightening the visitor’s perception of the artwork and the city.

Intermingling Urban Fabric

Maintaining vitality at street level and reducing the distance between the street and the art itself was an important consideration for the designers at Axis Mundi. Instead of designing a large vacant lobby, an informal intermingling of public and private space occurs on the street level plinth, creating a complex folding of the urban fabric. The plinth is populated by large-scale sculptures, an outdoor cafe bridge, an info kiosk, and a performance area. A continuous path, weaving in and out of the lattice structure, leads the visitor from the entrance ramp at the corner of Washington and Gansevoort up to the panoramic viewing deck, overlooking the Hudson River and the High Line.

John Beckmann, principal of Axis Mundi stated “We imagine the contemporary museum to be a dynamic environment – a space that is less a container and more of a conduit.”

Height: varies from 75 ft to 175 ft

Floors: 6 above (2 below)
Building Footprint: 39,000 square feet
Usable square footage: 195,000 square feet

Design Credits:

Design Team: John Beckmann, Andy Vann, Denise Pereira and Marielle Vargas

Renderings: Viviane Liao and Andy Vann
Illustrations + diagrams: Denise Pereira and Andy Vann

Hong Kong PSi Tower by Michael Young

British designer Michael Young has designed a tower for Hong Kong with faceted surfaces that will change according to weather and lighting conditions.

Called PSi Tower, the project is the first in a series of strategies Young is developing for the Wan Chai area.

The building will house offices and apartments, with a public art space and restaurants at ground level, and outdoor theater area further up.

The plans are to be unveiled at 100% Design Shanghai in November, where Young is creative director (see our earlier story).

More stories about Michael Young »

The information that follows is from Young:

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HONG KONG PSi TOWER by MICHAEL YOUNG
The PSi Tower Building, Hong Kong

British Hong Kong based designer Michael Young has been commissioned to develop building project strategies for Wanchai Cultural District. The first concept PSi Tower has been developed as an office complex with luxury apartments for business users and executives overlooking Kowloon district. Conceptually the project, based visually on the essence of ancient Chinese building techniques, has been carried forward into the 21st Century with its multi facetted surfaces that change according to weather and light conditions.

The 5-hectare site will include a ground level internal atrium for public art and pedestrian use, containing outdoor restaurants with outdoor seating. The upper central interior section also boasts a native plantation that encloses an outdoor theatre area.

Having lived in Hong Kong for several years, Young wanted to design a building that could be both understood by local residents and also be compelling on an international platform. Young, who has humorously stated he wanted to pickle Fosters Gherkin at the unveiling in Wanchai cultural centre today, admitted it was a great pleasure to work on such a large scale after watching great architects challenge the furniture industry over the years, and that finally the industry was becoming symbiotic a natural evolution of technology and engineering.

Detailed information on the project will be unveiled at presentation and public exhibition during 100% Design Shanghai in early November at Nanjing West Road.

Project: PSi Tower Hong Kong
Client: PSi Partners & PC Building Corp China
Design: Michael Young Projects Ltd
Place: Hong Kong, China 2010
Planning and consultant: Porbic Partners
Local Architect: Arnold Woo & Partners

A Studio for a Danish Artist by Svendborg Architects

Copenhagen firm Svendborg Architects have built this artist’s studio inside an existing stable building in Denmark.

The studio comprises the existing structural walls that have been preserved, and an anodised aluminium structure inside with a roof extending up above the previous roofline.

One side of the gabled interior has been finished entirely in mirrors to reflect views into the studio from skylights in the opposite side of the pitched roof.

Photographs are by Ole Hein and Poul Høilund D. Cruise.

Here’s some more from the architects:

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The new element is one homogeneous element in contrast to the white plastered facades of the old
house.

The project is both contextual and innovative.

In its shape and colour blends in with the existing farmhouses.

At the same time the studio offers new spatial feeling and qualities due to its small innovative solutions.

As the client says: “walking into this space makes me feel more free and think better.”

The new element is one homogeneous element in contrast to the white plastered facades of the old
house.

The project is both contextual and innovative.

In its shape and colour it blends in with the existing farmhouses.

At the same time the studio offers new spatial feeling and qualities due to its small innovative solutions.

As the client says: “walking into this space makes me feel more free and think better”

Click above for larger image.

Click above for larger image.

UNStudio Tower by UNStudio

Dutch architects UNStudio have completed a 21-storey office tower in their hometown of Amsterdam with colourfully glazed recesses in the facade spanning multiple floors.

Above photo by Christian Richters

The tower’s voids allow light to penetrate deeper into the communal areas of the interior and are intended to make a greater connection between the interior spaces and the external facade.

Above photo by Christian Richters

Bands of faceted aluminium cladding of various widths circle the building, controlling light penetration and sun screening to each floor.

Above photo by Inga Powilleit

The tower is one of six towers that comprise the Mahler 4 urban complex, each tower taking the name of the firm responsible for its design.

Above photo by Inga Powilleit

Here are more details from UNStudio:

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UNStudio Tower, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2004 – 2009

The recently completed 21 storey UNStudio Tower forms part of the Mahler 4 urban complex, a cluster of six buildings located in the heart of the South Axis in Amsterdam. The South Axis connects Schiphol Airport to the major business areas of Amsterdam South.

The Mahler 4 urban complex houses 38.000 m2 of residential spaces, 162.000 m2 of office space and 30.000 m2 of street level retail, cafes, restaurants and a sports centre. The six towers in the Mahler 4 complex range in height from 85 to 100 meters, with each building carrying the name of its designing firm. The Mahler 4 complex has been nominated for the FGH Real Estate Prize 2010.

At a height of 82.5 meters, the UNStudio Tower contains 20 floors of office space and a ground floor with mezzanine. The Royal Bank of Scotland currently occupies 9 floors of the building and the South entrance with commercial space on the Gustav Mahlerlaan.

Above photo by Inga Powilleit

UNStudio Tower

The façade of the UNStudio Tower plays with the juxtaposition of a horizontal and vertical articulation, conceptually relating to the principles upon which the moiré effect is based.

The horizontal articulation is provided by white, aluminium bands which wrap the tower, whilst their varying size, depth and transparency ensure the correct balance of sun screening and light penetration to the interiors on all levels of the building.

Vertical accents are formed by voids, recessed into each face of the building and spanning differing numbers of floors. These voids serve to create an inside-outside relationship which extends the façade envelope and turns the surface of the tower into an active medium with a profound effect on the quality of the interior user space.

Click for larger image

Ben van Berkel: “In the design for the tower it was important for us to create a connection between the façade and the interior spaces; to see the building as whole, almost like a piece of furniture.”

Custom coloured glass panes are incorporated into the vertical voids, offering different identities and light qualities to the communal spaces which surround each void in the interior. These voids further facilitate daylight penetration deep into the extensive 40m x 40m floors.

Voids are often placed at the center of a building, but here they are placed at the perimeters. This has three major advantages:

The voids are easily transformed into (internal and external) balconies

The usable floor space is larger and can be planned more flexibly. The depth of the floors further ensures a high façade to gross floor ratio, whilst the building as whole has a 90% net to gross ratio.

The quality of the void spaces is affected by their location. Instead of public circulation space, these voids offer space for small meetings or personal reflection.

User experience

Whereas conventional office buildings with their strict separation of inside and outside can be experienced as somewhat confining by contemporary office workers, the transparency of the primarily glass façade, in combination with the vertical voids, offers the user a gradient experience of the inside-outside condition, as well as the perception of an open and light interior. The outdoor spaces which are incorporated into the recessed voids in the form of roofed balconies allow for transition from inside to outside during free time or breaks. In addition, a roof terrace with a sky view towards Amsterdam Old South can be accessed for larger outdoor gatherings.

Attaining sustainability

UNStudio sees sustainable design as an integral aspect of contemporary architecture. Sustainable solutions are not treated as add-ons, but related to each and every building element.

In the design for the UNStudio Tower integrated sustainable solutions include:

Materials: the reduction of replacement frequency through the use of high quality durable materials and equipment throughout the building, along with the incorporation of a lightweight frame (resulting is less construction material usage in the foundations).

Climate: the façade design incorporates sustainable considerations with respect to orientation, with lamellas of differing heights, widths and depths controlling both direct sunlight penetration and noise pollution to each face and level of the building.

Thermal glazing allows for sufficient daylight, whilst reducing direct sunlight.

Energy saving installations: an underground energy storage system reduces energy usage by 30 to 35.7%. Energy efficient fixtures with motion sensors further control lighting level differentiation and thermal comfort. Sanitary installations include water saving cisterns and grey water usage.

Incorporating flexibility

Flexibility with respect to future change of use with an ambition towards minimum alteration was paramount in the design of the UNStudio Tower. Extensive research was carried out in collaboration with the client in order to determine where maximum flexibility could be incorporated into the design from the outset. As a result, the floor plans of the UNStudio Tower incorporate the potential for future residential use with no structural alteration required.

The vertical voids recessed into the façade of the building also offer the potential to be transformed into individual balconies on each floor for residential use in the future. The façade design further incorporates a system whereby the glass panes can be replaced with minimum intervention should a change of use become desirable.

Ben van Berkel: “A grid system was introduced into the UNStudio Tower which creates flexibility with a view to potential change of use in the future. There are currently many empty office buildings in Europe which cannot so easily be transformed, but the UNStudio Tower is designed in such a way that it could also one day be turned into housing. This provides an essential sustainable flexibility to the building.”

Sperone Westwater gallery by Foster + Partners

The Sperone Westwater gallery by Foster + Partners architects opened in New York earlier this week, featuring a moving exhibition space that connects the floors of the gallery.

The 12 by 20 foot moving gallery allows visitors to travel between floors or can be fixed at a chosen level to extend the static exhibition spaces.

The milled glass facade of the gallery dampens noise from the street and controls the temperature and light admitted to the gallery spaces.

Photos are by Nigel Young.

Here’s more from Foster + Partners:

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Sperone Westwater gallery opens on the Bowery

Sperone Westwater celebrates the opening of its new gallery on the Bowery in New York with an inaugural exhibition by Argentinean artist, Guillermo Kuitca.

Nearly 35 years after its conception, Sperone Westwater continues to exhibit an international roster of prominent artists working in a wide variety of media. Its new building, designed by Foster + Partners, doubles the exhibition area and pioneers an innovative approach to vertical movement within a gallery setting.

Responding to the compact 25 by 100 foot site, one of the features of the project is a 12 by 20 foot moving gallery, which connects the upper four exhibition floors and allows visitors to move gradually between levels. It is a prominent feature along the Bowery, visible from the street, its gentle pace contrasting with the fast-moving traffic. At any given floor, the exhibition space can be extended by parking the moving room as required, with an additional elevator and stairs providing alternative access.

The gallery offers a range of exhibition spaces, which vary in proportion and ambience. The design incorporates a double-height, 27-foot high exhibition space at street level, with a sky-lit gallery, a mezzanine floor, a sculpture terrace overlooking a park, and private viewing galleries on the fourth and fifth floors.

A setback at the sixth floor marks the location of the gallery’s administrative offices. Works of art will be stored primarily in the basement, while a library is located at the top of the building, below the mechanical floor.

The milled glass facade that houses the moving room acts as a buffer zone, protecting the building from extreme temperatures and acoustically insulating the gallery spaces.

Norman Foster commented:

‘The concept for Sperone Westwater represents both a response to the Bowery’s dynamic urban character and a desire to rethink the way in which we engage with art in the setting of a gallery. The moving gallery animates the exterior of the building and creates a bold vertical element within.’

‘Like a kinetic addition to the street, it is a lively symbol of the area’s reinvention and a daring response to the Sperone Westwater’s major program. I hope that artists will be inspired by the gallery’s new spatial and structural possibilities.’