It seems that there are a lot of designs these days which deal with building in environments which are previously historical. In 1999 when Zaha Hadid submitted a design for a design competition for a museum in Rome, there was no buildings of the sort in the surrounding area or even the city. Hadid's design showed how her extremely post-modern style fit into Rome's historical landscape. While at first glance the design seems very modern and alien from its surroundings, it actually brings in more aspects of the city than one might think.
First, it design is very flowing and riverlike which mimics a nearby river. Second, the grid layout of the building correspond to the city's grids. Finally, the building is only three stories tall to match the surroundings.
In addition to these three building features, the building is extremely open to the outside as almost every ceiling is glass- a very good lighting feature in a museum.
I love that architects are creating buildings which are unique to the surroundings yet still incorportate certain aspects that contain the area's footprint.
-"Maxxi" Architectural Record
I agree that it is nice when architects are able to produce designs within the bounds of the existing community. It is not always best to try and implement biggest and most modern designs within the existing community. However, being able to blend the modern in with the old in a way that is aesthetically pleasing is a true measure of the architects skill as a designer.
ReplyDeleteIt is a daunting task to bring old and new together when it comes to architecture. I think when it is done well it goes mostly unnoticed, but when it is done poorly everyone makes a huge deal about how "ugly" or "out of place" and new structure looks.
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