Mali, Lima Art Gallery - Competition Submission - A collaboration with Rod Mcallister
Entry
How do you enter an underground space? Steps and a lift are an answer. For an Art Gallery the negotiation of stairs or the claustrophobia of a lift aren't the best ways to prepare for the viewing of Art which can be a meditative or at least a differential experience. There is also a sense of discrimination towards those us who can't use steps. And for those of us who can they take a portion of our concentration and induce a level of anxiety unconducive to the event ahead.
There is an opportunity here to find meaning in this transition from one side of the surface to the other - below. A gentle journey which takes time, a gradual transition from air to ground. An angled line which intersects the horizontal plane of the earths surface. Such a space, a pause, would provide a break from the world. An opening for other ideas and the ideas and imagination of others.
Natural Light
With submerged accommodation the most important question is - how do you get natural light to the spaces that need it? At level -1 there is the potential to puncture the ground level with roof lights. At level -2 the only way is to drop a shaft or light well. This long narrow site points strongly towards a long linear void running along the North South axis with accommodation on each side. This arrangement also correlates very well with the program - especially the Education Centre which is a major part of the brief. Classrooms can be placed very efficiently in a row on either side of the void.
Landscape
The Chinese Fountain is the centre of the park - A line can be drawn through its centre which cuts the centre of the Byzantine Pavilion. This line strikes the corner of the existing MALI Gallery and by chance terminates on the proposed lift down to the Metro Station. The idea here is to create a new main route through the park which bypasses the ugly entrance sequence which competes with the car park entrance to the South and connects the Metro station to the North. This line intersects with the existing MARLI and bridges over the new extension. The bridge is intended to provide a view down to the new extension - on seeing the ramp it becomes clear how the space can be entered.
Arrangement
The singularity of the ramp experience should not be repeated and turning any corners reduces its power. It needs to be a single line. This dictates the galleries are on Level -1. The foyer is the first space you come to and should be devoid of any distractions like gift shops and cafes. After the clearing preparation of the ramp this space should just be there to reassure and provide entry into the galleries.
How do you enter an underground space? Steps and a lift are an answer. For an Art Gallery the negotiation of stairs or the claustrophobia of a lift aren't the best ways to prepare for the viewing of Art which can be a meditative or at least a differential experience. There is also a sense of discrimination towards those us who can't use steps. And for those of us who can they take a portion of our concentration and induce a level of anxiety unconducive to the event ahead.
There is an opportunity here to find meaning in this transition from one side of the surface to the other - below. A gentle journey which takes time, a gradual transition from air to ground. An angled line which intersects the horizontal plane of the earths surface. Such a space, a pause, would provide a break from the world. An opening for other ideas and the ideas and imagination of others.
Natural Light
With submerged accommodation the most important question is - how do you get natural light to the spaces that need it? At level -1 there is the potential to puncture the ground level with roof lights. At level -2 the only way is to drop a shaft or light well. This long narrow site points strongly towards a long linear void running along the North South axis with accommodation on each side. This arrangement also correlates very well with the program - especially the Education Centre which is a major part of the brief. Classrooms can be placed very efficiently in a row on either side of the void.
Landscape
The Chinese Fountain is the centre of the park - A line can be drawn through its centre which cuts the centre of the Byzantine Pavilion. This line strikes the corner of the existing MALI Gallery and by chance terminates on the proposed lift down to the Metro Station. The idea here is to create a new main route through the park which bypasses the ugly entrance sequence which competes with the car park entrance to the South and connects the Metro station to the North. This line intersects with the existing MARLI and bridges over the new extension. The bridge is intended to provide a view down to the new extension - on seeing the ramp it becomes clear how the space can be entered.
Arrangement
The singularity of the ramp experience should not be repeated and turning any corners reduces its power. It needs to be a single line. This dictates the galleries are on Level -1. The foyer is the first space you come to and should be devoid of any distractions like gift shops and cafes. After the clearing preparation of the ramp this space should just be there to reassure and provide entry into the galleries.
