What are the innovative elements of this museum, from a structural and conceptual point of view?
The most interesting element was definitely the process: we worked along with the museum to create a building able to meet their needs, and above all able to correspond to their ideal model.
If I had to highlight two particular aspects that characterize the building, I would definitely focus on the fact that the areas for preparing the exhibitions are closely connected to the exhibition rooms, which in turn stretch from the indoors outdoors onto the terraces. This creates a close connection between art spaces and the city.
As regards the building, the façade was one of the most complex elements to create, requiring a lengthy process of study and reflection.
What about the numbers of the project? Size, figures, people involved.
The museum is about 20,000 m2 in size, with 4500 m2 of exhibition space indoors plus 1200 m2 of exhibition space outdoors.
The large gallery for temporary exhibitions, measuring 1600 m2, is currently the largest gallery without columns in New York.
A large number of people are involved in projects of this size. A varied group of professionals works on each RPBW project, from a number of fields and with different skills:
engineers, specialized technicians, landscape architects, anthropologists and artists.
The most striking element of exchange will be art, culture, light or….
Our hope is that the light and the transparency of the spaces and the art will be able to create a cultural exchange between the museum and the community of the district, and with the city on a wider scale.
This is why our aim was to design an inviting building, one that rather than taking possession of the space on the ground can be glimpsed from the street. A museum is a place of major civic importance, and it’s right that it should be transparent and accessible.
Special thanks to Elisabetta Trezzani, partner of Renzo Piano Building Workshop