(Post)Modern Museum Architecture
Posted in Design, Internationalism on 13. Jan, 2009
WebUrbanist has 15 examples of contemporary museum architecture up.
If you saw these buildings for the first time, would many would you honestly recognise as museums?
What do they all have in common? Steel and glass are common materials. Geometric angles or swooping curves are also common themes. These buildings are almost works of art in themselves, looking to mimic contemporary sculpture. This may be ideal for art museums housing the avant garde, but which would you expect any heritage in? Could you imagine roman artifacts on display here? Or, more importantly, which exterior tells you the workings of the interior?
Jewish Museum Berlin 16 by weye.org. Used under Creative Commons
One example that I’m surprised isn’t featured but fits alongside is the Jewish Museum in Berlin, designed by Daniel Libeskind, architecture of the Royal Ontario Museum and The Denver Art Museum extensions.
Look at all the photos and notice the location. There are either buildings nearby that look nothing like the museum or blank space. Not only is it hard to identify the function of these buildings but there are few clues to figuring out which country they are in. There’s a contrast of the picture of the USS Midway against a background of associated skyscrapers.
These examples of contemporary museum architecture follow similar rules: To be almost autonomous in design and to be appeal to international recognition.
