Over spring break I had the opportunity to take a trip to
Dallas and Fort Worth. While I was visiting I took the time to visit some of
the pieces of architecture that are in the area, as well as see Thorn Crown
Chapel on the drive down. Many of these visits I did weren’t directly related
to my thesis project, but I made some parallel connections in order to make the
trip worthwhile and education for my purpose. My main concern was to understand
gallery space, as Dallas and Fort Worth are both full of museums designed by
big named architects. I did not have time to see them all, but by far my
favorite and most educational were the Tadao Ando museum and the Louis Kahn
museum. Each of these both unique in many ways responds to a need to display
art. The one key factor that was seen in both museums was the need for light.
Natural light, which is great for any reason, was a guiding factor in the
designs of the museums, which in my case is also important, giving the fact
that I will have a gallery space and work space in my program. The beautiful
part of each of these museums is the feeling of serenity. Each building,
designed to an a appropriate scale and proportion allows the mind to feel
secure but bright and enlightened. Probably the most fascinating feature was
the design solution to bringing in natural light to the exhibit space without
having any indirect light. The beauty of the details and the solution as a
whole are in perfect proportion which leads to a wonderful form and aesthetic.
I am a fan of Louis Kahn in general. I have had the opportunity to visit the
Salk Institute and just like the Kimbell I felt positive feelings when in the
space. The attention to detail and understanding of material and light is
astounding and almost overwhelming in a positive sense. Of course I do have to
wonder what a regular joe would think about architecture, and especially these
fine examples. For me to actually explain my thoughts is difficult for I am not
good with words, but any one person who has had the pleasure surely understands
the beauty of such deep architecture. Just so I am not rambling on, I want to
display some pictures I took and talk a bit about them.
This picture is of the Modern Museum of Art by Tadao Ando. I
took this picture actually in September of 2013, but this is a great example of
daylighting design. Beyond the far glass wall is a large pond that helps cool
the site as a whole and reflects light into the building. Great experience
overall.
These next two pictures are of the Salk Institute (top) and
the Kimbell Art Museum (Bottom) by Louis Kahn. Just looking at the pictures
there is a sense of proportion and scale that is almost perfect, even exterior
lighting considerations are amazing. And finally below is the interior of the
Kimbell, you can see light coming in through the top of the ceiling, and how
much light is coming in. Yet again, amazing.
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