Items Tagged ‘museum’
Inujima Art Project
Project Name:
Inujima Art ProjectLocation:
Inujima Island, JapanCompletion Date:
2008Original Use(s):
copper refineryNew Use(s):
art museumProject Description:
History
Opened in 1909 using local funding, the copper refinery was one of many that were built on islands in the Seto Island Sea. The island locations were chosen both for their resources as well as a way to minimize pollution and provide convenient transport of the raw materials. Due to a massive plunge in the value of copper, the refinery shut down after only 10 years of operation. Because of its groundbreaking role in Japan’s industrial development, the Inujima refinery site was designated in 2007 as “Story 30″ in the “33 Heritage Constellations of Industrial Modernization” by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.[1]
(Re)Developer
Soichiro Fukutake, primary project benefactor, is President of Benesse Corporation. Ranked among the top ten richest people in Japan, Fukutake took over the company his father founded which focuses on distance learning and test preparation for schools and universities. He has transformed Naoshima into an art mecca and serves as director of the Chichu Art Museum.[2]
Hiroshi Sambuichi founded Sambuichi Architects in Hiroshima. Sambuichi is well known and recognized for his sustainable designs and focus.[3]
Outcome
The Inujima Art Project was undertaken as a way to revitalize the area while at the same time raise awareness about the issues surrounding industrialization. The site was slated for use as a medical waste dump, but thanks to Fukutake’s efforts was saved. While much of the actual gallery space is new construction, it was been made using recycled elements from the site. Much of the old refinery, smokestacks, and grounds have been preserved as historic ruins to encapsulate the gallery.
The museum was designed to use solar, geothermal, and other natural energies as a way to minimize its burden on the environment. Sambuichi designed the gallery to use the natural cooling effects of the earth for the buried portion of the building and the existing smokestacks to pull fresh air in from the bottom and release old air out through the top.[4]
Electricity is only necessary to power emergency lighting; all other lighting, heating, and cooling needs are met through passive measures.[5] Lighting for the Earth Gallery (steel-encased corridor embedded in the ground) is provided by a single skylight that is extended by nine mirrors strategically located throughout. The sun-lit Chimney Hall at the base of the smokestack filters light into the vaulted Energy Hall.[6] Waste water at the gallery is filtered on site with a plant-based water purifying system and then used to irrigate orange and olive trees.[7]
Designed to harmonize with the earth’s natural cycles, Seirensho is just the beginning of what Fukutake has in store for Inujima; among other things, plans are afoot to restore and transform several of the island’s old houses into art installations in collaboration with architect Kazuyo Sejima. But even as the scope of Fukutake’s interventions expands, the visionary art patron remains true to his basic mantra: “utilize existing elements and create elements that do not exist.”[8]
Due to the island’s size (.21 square miles) and the desire to preserve the site, only 50 visitors are allowed a day.[9]
[1]Benesse Art Site Naoshima
[2]Wallpaper* Magazine
[3]Benesse Art Site Naoshima
[4]Wallpaper* Magazine
[5]Inhabitat
[6]Wallpaper* Magazine
[7]Inhabitat
[8]Wallpaper* Magazine
[9]Inhabitat
Images courtesy of Inhabitat.
$25.5M Brooklyn Navy Yard Museum Underway
Project Name:
$25.5M Brooklyn Navy Yard Museum UnderwayLocation:
Completion Date:
Original Use(s):
New Use(s):
Project Description:
The redevelopment of the old Brooklyn Navy Yard will also include a new $25.5M museum. With funding coming from city, state, federal and private sources, the visitors center is currently under construction. The developers will be utilizing a 9,300-square-foot historic building on the site and adding on a 24,000-square-foot addition. Along with a an exhibition space that will detail the site’s role in America’s history and its future in advancing green manufacturing, the adapted and expanded structure will also house a job training and placement facility.
Old San Francisco Mint To Become A Gorgeous Green Museum
Project Name:
Old San Francisco Mint To Become A Gorgeous Green MuseumLocation:
Completion Date:
Original Use(s):
New Use(s):
Project Description:
The vacant U.S. Mint in San Francisco is ready to go green once again. A green renovation is currently being planned for the building by HOK. Built in 1874 and vacant since 1995, the structure will be converted into a cultural hub that will include a San Francisco Bay Area history museum, an interactive learning center, a visitor information center, restaurants, retail, and a green roof garden.
The building significant amounts of space along with a sense of security. It survived the 1906 Great Earthquake thanks to the floating foundation design that Alfred Mullet had incorporated – a design that is still used today.
A number of green features are being planned for the adaptive reuse project: passive ventilation will remain in the original design, a courtyard will act as a rainwater catchment area, take advantage of natural sunlight and building’s high thermal mass. The project team for The Mint plans to earn LEED Platinum certification.
Buyer Sought For Roosevelt Road Firehouse
Project Name:
Buyer Sought For Roosevelt Road FirehouseLocation:
Completion Date:
Original Use(s):
New Use(s):
Project Description:
The old Engine Company 18 Firehouse, dating back to 1873, has sat vacant and unused since 2008. Nearly two years later, the City of Chicago will release a request for proposal on March 15th. The City would prefer a commercial or mixed-use redevelopment, and has stated that proposed projects must adaptively reuse the building and encourages maintaining the facade which has been in place since 1916. Although the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago had originally hoped to add the building to its cultural offerings, the City appears to be going down a different route.
Punta della Dogana Contemporary Art Centre
Project Name:
Punta della Dogana Contemporary Art CentreLocation:
Venice, Italy, EUCompletion Date:
May 2009Original Use(s):
custom houseNew Use(s):
museumProject Description:
History
For centuries this rusticated-stone and plaster-on-brick building served as the customs house in Venice, Italy. The 17th-century building, located at the eastern tip of Dorsoduro Island and next to Longhena’s domed basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, was shut down and left vacant in the 1970s.[1]
(Re)Developer
French billionaire and art collector François Pinault won the bid to convert the building into a contemporary art museum. Pinault runs the retail company PPR and holding company Artemis S.A. Both companies own or have owned Gucci, Converse shoes, Samsonite luggage, Vail Ski Resort, and Christie’s auction house.[2] He also owns (through his foundation) Palazzo Grassi in Venice, and has one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary art (nearly 2,500 pieces).[3]
Japanese architect Tadao Ando was selected by Pinault to bring the conversion to life. Known for his creative use of natural light and for architecture that follows the natural forms of the landscape, Ando’s approach to architecture was once categorized as critical regionalism. He has focused his work in Japan, but has a number of projects in Europe as well as the United States.[4] He previously worked with Pinault to revamp Palazzo Grassi.[5]
Outcome
The adaptive reuse project took 14 months to complete and has created a lasting impression on this significant site in Venice. While the building itself is triangular and matching the shape of the island, the interior has been divided up into long rectangles for a number of different galleries. The facade was completely restored and all openings were replaced. A protective shell at the building’s base was installed to secure it against high water up to nearly 7 feet, and the brick foundation was restored/replaced. Skylights were installed while the wooden roof trusses were recovered and the roof itself fully restored. The $28 million project was opened on June 6, 2009.[6]
[1]Architectural Record
[2]Wikipedia
[3]designboom
[4]Wikipedia
[5]Architectural Record
[6]designboom
Images courtesy of Architectural Record
Des Moines County Heritage Center
Project Name:
Des Moines County Heritage CenterLocation:
Burlington, Iowa, USACompletion Date:
2009Original Use(s):
libraryNew Use(s):
museumProject Description:
History
The building had long served as the Burlington Public Library. It was originally built in 1898.
(Re)Developer
The Des Moines County Historical Society took ownership of the public library and began full renovations in order to expand their museum collections.
Outcome
The renovations included new heating and air conditioning, updated lighting, collection storage and creative exhibit galleries. Helping to commemorate and promote the history of the county, the adapted building will serve the needs of the community for years to come. It now includes an interactive map room, military gallery, the Bart Howard Room (faux nightclub), the 19th Century Gallery, a children’s exhibit, the Agricultural Gallery, and the 20th Century Gallery.
Images courtesy of Des Moines County Historical Society and Robert Maihofer.
CITY MUSEUM
Project Name:
CITY MUSEUMLocation:
Saint Louis, Missouri, USACompletion Date:
1997Original Use(s):
shoe factory and warehouseNew Use(s):
museum and residential loftsProject Description:
History
The building was once home to the International Shoe Company. At 600,000 square feet, it included a shoe factory and warehouse.
(Re)Developer
Purchased in 1993, the site found a new purpose and life thanks to Bob and Gail Cassilly. Bob, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, spent four years reworking the site for his new vision.[1]
Outcome
Opened in 1997, the museum is not only an example of adaptive reuse itself but its displays and elements are repurposed architectural and industrial objects. It includes such features as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and two abandoned planes. “CITY MUSEUM makes you want to know,” says Cassilly. “The point is not to learn every fact, but to say, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful.’ And if it’s wonderful, it’s worth preserving.”[2]
Some of the exhibits include: shoelace museum, World Aquarium, Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shaft, Skateless Park, and MonstroCity. Thanks to the success and vibrancy of the museum, Cassily has used the City Museum as a neighborhood anchor to help develop several nearby commercial and residential buildings as well as include lofts within the shoe factory.[3]
[1]Wikipedia
[2]CITY MUSEUM
[3]Wikipedia
Images courtesy of Wikipedia, UNC Asheville Multimedia Arts/Sciences Council, and artnet.
Tate Modern
Project Name:
Tate ModernLocation:
London, England, UK, EUCompletion Date:
2000Original Use(s):
utilityNew Use(s):
museumProject Description:
History
Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the former Bankside Power Station served London for less than 40 years before being closed down. It was built in two stages between 1947 and 1963 and was closed in 1981. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was also the architect of the Battersea Power Station. The southern third of the building was retained by the French power company EDF Energy as an electrical substation (in 2006, the company released half of this holding).[1]
(Re)Developer
Tate, a public institution, realized in the 1990s that its growing collection was outgrowing its originally location on Millbank. To alleviate pressure, it was decided to provide a new museum dedicated to modern art. Consultations led to the decision to reuse an existing building which brought Tate to the old power station. Its immense size and superior location on the Thames opposite St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London made it a sure bet. The building was converted by architects Herzog & de Meuron and contractors Carillion, after which it stood at 99m tall.[2]
Outcome
In just eight years Tate Modern has changed London and revitalized the South Bank of the Thames. Tate Modern has transformed a previously underdeveloped area of London and has helped give the city a new image as a leading center of contemporary culture. It has become a key landmark for London, while its program and architecture have won international acclaim. Since 2000, more than 30 million people have visited Tate Modern – it was designed for 1.8 million visitors annually, but has reached an average of 4.6 million visitors over recent years.[3]
[1]Wikipedia
[2]Tate Modern
[3]Tate Modern
Images courtesy of iNeTours, White Mouse Burrow, and About.com