View Full Version : [Denver] Extension to the Denver Art Museum - Daniel Libeskind
"The museum itself is a work of art." - Gio Ponti
Now known as the Frederic C. Hamliton Building, this addition is Daniel Libeskind's first completed work (as of September 2006) in the United States. I will let Libeskind's words define the building for the moment:
Excerpt from Daniel Libeskind's website (http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects/pro.html?ID=36):
The Eye and the Wing
The Extension to the Denver Art Museum is an expansion and addition to the existing Denver Art Museum, designed by the Italian Architect Gio Ponti. The extension will house the Modern and Contemporary art collection as well as the collection of Architecture and Design and Oceanic Art. It will also become the main entrance to the entire museum complex and will have a representative lobby with access to shops, a cafe and theater.
The project is a Joint Venture between Daniel Libeskind and Davis Partnership of Denver. The team is overseeing the construction of the project and has been based in Denver since the completion of schematics. The studio has worked closely with the director, curators, the core exhibit team, the contact architect and the Board of Trustees to realize an innovative museum for the 21st Century.
The model below depicts the addition on the top of the image, the cultural center and artist studios (completed prior to the museum extension) in the center, and artist condos that broke ground sometime in the summer to the bottom left of the image. Michael Grave's Denver Public Library is in the foreground on the right. The original museum (Gio Ponti, 1971) is off the image to the right.
Travel information:
Easily visited by mass transit (via light rail and free 16th St. Mall shuttles), the museum is located at the epicenter of Denver, blocks from the State Capitol, County City Building, the Denver Public Library, and the Denver Mint. The Museum marks the northernmost area of Denver's arts district. Driving down 13th avenue, you can't miss the cantilever over the street...
The google earth image below does not show any of the construction of the extension/addition, but it is appropriately marked below.
Intent:
The new building for the Denver Art Museum will be an icon whose character and form will attract a wide public to the museum complex. Nexus is conceived in close connection with the function and aesthetic of the existing Ponti museum as well as the entire Civic Center and the public library. The new building is a Nexus tying together downtown and civic center forming a strong connection to the golden triangle neighborhood. The project is not designed as a stand alone building but as part of a composition of public spaces, monuments and gateways in this developing part of the city, contributing to the synergy amongst neighbors large and intimate.
The materials of the building and plaza will be those closely relating to the existing context (local stone) as well as innovative new materials (titanium) which together will form spaces that connect local Denver tradition to the 21st Century.
The amazing vitality and growth of Denver from its foundation to the present inspires the form of new museum. Coupled with the magnificent topography with its breathtaking views of the sky and the Rocky Mountains, the dialogue between the boldness of construction and the romanticism of the landscape create a unique place in the world. The bold and forward looking engagement of the public in forging its own cultural, urban and spirited destiny is something that would strike anyone upon touching the soil of Colorado.
One of the challenges of building the Denver Art Museum is to work closely and respond to the extraordinary range of transformations in light, coloration, atmospheric effects, temperature and weather conditions unique to this city. I insist these are to be integrated not only functionally and physically, but culturally and experientially for the benefit of the visitors' experience. The conjunction of the contemporary art experience with the uniqueness of the local conditions will form part of the decisions of materials, form, and space.
The community has a great role in participating in the creation of the new Denver Art Museum, though the architect has to take full responsibility for the work, the public's inclusion is integral to the building's success. I believe in the importance of the debate and discourse the project will generate as part of its mission to extend public participation in the museum. Although no symphony or work of art has been composed by committee, the open public context of a work has always been important for its successful completion.
The spatial spectrum of the museum will choreograph public experience for the visitors greater than the sum of its parts. The visitor experience will begin before actually entering the building proper because the building is conceived as a spectacular urban form within the center of the horizon of the city. The flow of public circulation will therefore be a full three dimensional exploration of the topography of place, time and the unexpected.
The 21st century is a century in which the experience of visitors and the museum itself will be radically rethought. The old barriers between tradition and the future will be dissolved and reformulated in a new architectural program. The ecological issues and the role of architecture in fostering a creative relationship to its environment will be explored in the way the building is conceived and constructed. The issues of light and systems within the building will have to relate to the variety of museum experience. Since the new museum is not thought of as an abstraction, but as a place for the diverse desires of the public, it will use the latest technologies and fuse them into an integrated whole.
Since contemporary art has so much richness and such a wide horizon of unpredictability one of the missions of the museum is to provide inspiring and generative space for new art. This space will range from the black and white box galleries to radical spaces in which both intimate dreams and grand installations will take place. The contemporary nature of galleries in the new building will also deal with the indeterminate and ever surprising and challenging horizon of art by providing new opportunities for artists to conceive and implement their wildest dreams.
The Ponti building is a powerful building conceived by a remarkable architect in his time. The new building for the Denver Art Museum will provide the necessary tension to further engage the existing museum in an urban dialogue into the future. The new building will centralize the lobbies and social activity spaces and functional connections as a singular new entrance to the complex as a whole. It will also provide a seamless link and thus transform the public perception of the Ponti building. The whole is not conceived as merely adding an additional building to the museum, but generating a new complex in which the Ponti building plays a major regenerative role. The new place created for the Denver Art Museum will generate a wholly new audience added to the audience already involved in the art experience. It will do so by providing experiences that will be unique to this museum making it a destination point not only for visitors from Denver, but from around the world.
The new building is not based on an idea of style or the rehashing of ready-made ideas or external shape because its architecture does not separate the inside from the outside or provide a pretty facade behind which a typical experience exists, rather this architecture has an organic connection to the public at large and to those aspects of experience that are also intellectual, emotional, and sensual. The integration of these dimensions for the enjoyment and edification of the public is achieved in a building that respects the hand-crafted nature of architecture and its immediate communication from the hand to the eye to the mind. After all, the language of architecture beyond words themselves are the laughter of light, proportion and materiality.
(note: image below is a placeholder for concept image)
My experience:
Approach: from the north, between the library and the original museum. Aprevious museum addition/cafe is in the foreground.
Looking to the right, we see the original 1971 museum by Gio Ponti:
Note: the exterior of the original museum is the most breathtaking aspect of that building. The interior says little, but the exterior is beautiful.
The tile cladding on the 28 sided building is spectacular.
back to the extension:
as you approach the building, a sense of its massive nature and projection into the urban space created by the library, museum, extension, and cultural center is evident.
looking just to the left.
...and a little better overall composition from a block away. my meager camera w/out wide angle lens:
moving further back and to the left, the library comes into focus...
moving towards the entry, but not entering yet...
just south of the entry is a shop entrance. as you can see, the landscape is still in progress.
backing away to the south...
a closer shot of the shop entrance from two pics before...
and turning to the right to get the context...
just one of the many abstract images you can get from the building:
alright: to the interior. note: 80% of the building is photographable. only the temporary exhibits are off limits...
this is the entry space from the coat room, as they push everyone rapidly through the doors just off to the left of the image:
a peek of the atrium from the entry. it starts to get your attention...
more, but they begin to become more abstract...
moving up the atrium, a sun room presents itself. the atrium edges become explorative, as the path to the upper floors are obscured by angular walls...
looking back from where I came...
this is one of the first images where you see how the American Disabilities Act affected all of the space...the wood looks almost like an afterthought.
looking just to the left to aquire a bit of the atrium...
the stair to the next level...
just having fun with perspective :D
looking across the atrium.
...and over to the right and down.
looking back up at the peak of the atrium space.
a final view at the top of the atrium:
slightly blurred, as my pace began to quicken in setting up to photograph...
looking back at the entry.
overview of a portion of the exhibit space...
the space formed by the point jutting out over the street. I am standing over the street below...the window is contextually seen on the exterior...
then a brief outside break on the sculpture deck:
and a final shot: the denver skyline. trust me, the building feels alot more massive in person...
as I am hopeful that I can get some wide angle shots from a friend that traveled with me, I'll hold off on some additional imagery that would be more impressive than the shots I've taken...
The rest of the interior exhibit spaces are very diverse in their geometry, but similar in nature. Some spaces were rather cramped, yet there are many levels and spaces to spread visitors out.
I'd encourage everyone to visit, as these photographs can't do it justice. Spatially speaking, this building is very rich in dynamic space; there is always something visually stimulating to see here, whether an art piece or the building that is art itself.
Presently, there is an exhibit on the first floor of the original museum that houses information about the building. It is a very interesting exhibit from the standpoint of a professional. Even the construction documents are present and can be thumbed through at will. but, the most particularly informative piece of the exhibit: a 4D video depicting the phasing of the construction, and how integral each piece is to holding the building up...
I hope I did not leave anything out...ask questions and I will attempt to answer.
imasayer
28-11-2006, 16:44
Troggers,
How would you compare Libeskind to Gehry after your visit? Are they essentially doing the same thing?
I took some construction shots of this that I posted in PPB 1. I will have to see if I still have them.
It seems like you would have to cut about a thousand sections through this just to make sure you had head clearance where angled members cut through the building. Cool building though, thanks for the post!
How would you compare Libeskind to Gehry after your visit. Are they doing the same thing?
I'd say there is more meaning in Libeskind's piece, but not by much. The concept for this building arose from an initial gesture of Libeskind in watercolor as he was flying over the mountains west of Denver, which I would attribute as similar to Gehry. However, more meaning was added when an abstracted notion from Gio Ponti's original museum - the 28-sided (not sure the exact number here, but it was in the twenties) ribbon facade - was added to the watercolor gesture. I'm not sure of the sides, but the building faces were formed by a single line, aka a rigid ribbon, overlapping multiple times, plunging into the ground, forming peaks, spaces intertwining, etc.
I'd think it would be well worth anyone's visit to see the construction docs. on exhibit there. It is amazing to see the number of true elevations for the various shards as well as building and wall sections.
Hello,
I have to say that this is going to be my first thread,so please forgive me if I didn't do everything right;)
Last summer I have spent in USA-"Work and Travel".Most of my summer I spent in NY and NJ,but I have managed to go in Colorado.To be honest at first I went there for the skiing:no no no: but as I got there I lover Denver at first site...
Denver has ART district it is a block with most important museums and art galleries.
The latest architectural achievement there is ,of course, Art museum designed by Daniel Libeskind [2006] and also Art museum residence...
"To complete the vision for the extension, Studio Daniel Libeskind worked closely with the director, curators, core exhibition team, the contract architect and the Board of Trustees. Since its opening, the new building has become an icon whose character and form has attracted thousands to the museum complex.
"Nexus is conceived in close connection with the function and aesthetic of the existing Ponti museum, as well as the entire Civic Center and public library. The new building is a Nexus tying together downtown and Civic Center, forming a strong connection to the golden triangle neighborhood. The project is not designed as a stand alone building, but as part of a composition of public spaces, monuments and gateways in this developing part of the city, contributing to the synergy amongst neighbors, large and intimate.
"The materials of the building closely relate to the existing context (local stone) as well as innovative new materials (titanium) which together will form spaces that connect local Denver tradition to the 21st Century.
"The amazing vitality and growth of Denver-- from its foundation to the present, inspires the form of the new museum. Coupled with the magnificent topography with its breathtaking views of the sky and the Rocky Mountains, the dialogue between the boldness of construction and the romanticism of the landscape creates a unique place in the world. The bold and forward looking engagement of the public in forging its own cultural, urban and spirited destiny is something that would strike anyone upon touching the soil of Colorado.
"One of the challenges of building the Denver Art Museum was to work closely and respond to the extraordinary range of transformations in light, coloration, atmospheric effects, temperature and weather conditions unique to this City. I insisted these be integrated not only functionally and physically, but culturally and experientially for the benefit of the visitors' experience.
"The new building is not based on an idea of style or the rehashing of ready made ideas or external shape because its architecture does not separate the inside from the outside or provide a pretty facade behind which a typical experience exists; rather this architecture has an organic connection to the public at large and to those aspects of experience that are also intellectual, emotional, and sensual. The integration of these dimensions for the enjoyment and edification of the public is achieved in a building that respects the hand crafted nature of architecture and its immediate communication from the hand, to the eye, to the mind. After all, the language of architecture beyond words themselves are the laughter of light, proportion and materiality."
Daniel Libeskind "
taken from www.daniel-libeskind.com
coming from back side to the whole complex
model which could be seen inside
interior-main staircases
I have to admit that I didn't feel very pleasant ,because of all those angled walls and columns.
Those small circles are in fact LED lights with numbers and every circle is counting random numbers but in different speeds-ENGI,2006,Tatsuo Miyajima for those who want to know more
interior-strange column
:cool:
interior-exhibition rooms
..and you can even relax...
about floor plans and sections,I think that they could be found on web site..
feel free to ask me questions
well,I think this is enough for my first post
anajit, thanks for adding to the thread. :)
just make sure to do a search first...and welcome to the forums!
imasayer
12-03-2008, 16:33
Here are some pics of the Dever Art Museum while it was under construction. I posted these way back before the great hack of 05' (or was that 04'). Anyway, have a look at its bones.
imasayer
12-03-2008, 16:35
Here are some shots that show a peeled away version of the wall. You can see every component of the exterior wall construction. A pretty basic wall section really.
sorry i was looking before i posted but i looked under different topic
sorry again
sorry i was looking before i posted but i looked under different topic
sorry again
don't be sorry, the more photos the better.
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