Precedent Studies

1. STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Seeking to introduce improbability and to puncture the facade, Acconci and Holl challenged this symbolic border which underlines the exclusivity of the art world, where only those on the inside belong. Using a hybrid material comprised of concrete mixed with recycled fibers, Holl and Acconci inserted a series of hinged panels arranged in a puzzle-like configuration. When the panels are locked in their open position, the facade dissolves and the interior space of the gallery expands out on to the sidewalk. If the function of a facade is to create a division separating the inside from the outside space.


Reference:
http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?type=museums&id=24&page=1

2. ROSENTHAL CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART






















The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art. The Rosenthal Center was Zaha Hadid's first American project. It has been described by New York Times as "the most important American building to be completed since the cold war".

With the move to this dynamic new building, the first free-standing home for the Center's pioneering programming, the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) will become one of the most centrally located contemporary arts institutions in the nation.

The concrete, steel and glass building features undulating levels and ramps to accommodate the varied shapes, scales and media of contemporary art. The galleries, that appear to float over the main lobby, connect and interlock like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle, allowing for unobstructed viewing from all sides.

"The public lobby, where everyone enters, is downtown and central to the city so people who are just walking around can go in and have a coffee downstairs or hang around the lobby or go upstairs to quickly see a show. It is a very accessible building.
It's not a compact building and there is a degree of transparency on the ground and above. So it's not only how we use it, but also how we pass through it.
Every time you confront the space you have a different experience".
Zaha Hadid

The exhibition, presented through pictures, drawings, plans, sketches, photos, and models, features a special room designed by Zaha Hadid. Seven meters high, covering a floor space of 300 square meters, weighing eight tons, the room was developed especially for the MAK to give the public an opportunity to get an active feel for Hadid's radically new language of shape and space.


Reference:
http://www.arcspace.com/architects/hadid/cac/index.html