Museum/Residential
Brooklyn, New York
Fall 2024 Option Studio
Advised by Emma Silverblatt and Adam Frampton
Partner project with Lydia Knecht
Studying historical documentation of the site, we noted that the current lot originally was home to a large industrial building, a mirror of the existing building to the north. The design begins with reconstruction of the historical building as a doubling of what exists north of the site. Thus, creating a twin that appears the same as the old building but is today an entirely new and innovative in its conception and internal organization. How can the site anticipate change whilst preserving parts of its past, and even future? The answers to this question are through two typologies: housing and museum.
Initially, the space will house artists along with their studios and workspaces. Its future condition consists of artifacts from artists who have moved away. A large central courtyard provides natural light for these workspaces, eventually translated into museum infill. The tool for change is a corbel concrete column, taken from precedent studies of Otto Steidle’s Genterstrasse. These allow floors to move sectionally. A gantry crane not only changes the layout of objects in the building, but also is a way for the building itself to physically change in section.
Placement of columns determines enfilade organization in plan. Rigid artifacts like plumbing and HVAC systems live in between each column, establishing an enfilade condition. This preserves the spatial organization of a typical museum while allowing for open space among studios. Occupants therefore can determine spatial organization while still establishing the dimensions of the typologies listed above.
PRECEDENT: Genter Strasse
Cutaway axonometric analysis of Genter Strasse, illustrating the mechanism of the cobled column and the possibility of different floor height configurations.
Photograph of Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle under construction, exposing the underlying corbled column system that enables floor plates to shift based on the residents’ needs.
Plan analysis of Genter Strasse, highlighting the fixed structures and movable wall partitions.
PLAN: Present & Future Configuration
Present ground floor plan configured as a community space for residents above.
Future ground floor plan after the space has been converted into a museum’s exhibition space. No structural or mechanical changes were necessary.
Present configuration of a typical floor plan with 10 artist apartments and 10 sem-public studio spaces surrounding a central courtyard.
Future configuration of a typical floor plan after the artists have left and the floor now functioning as an exhibition gallery.
SECTION: Present & Future Configuration
Present section figuration. Single-height configuration on the left for artists producing works with low space requirements and double height spaces on the right for artists producing larger works.
Future section configuration. The corbled column structral system permits floor plates to shift at half-floor heights, creating both double-height and 1.5 height floors for various exhibition requirements. The previously open central courtyard is then closed off and used as storage for artworks.
Present section configuration with open courtyard. A built in crane over the courtyard helps change the floor slabs without additional machinery.
Future section configuration with courtyard infilled to create storage space for artworks.
PERSPECTIVES: Present & Future Configuration
Present: Double height space with community kitchens for artist residents.
Future: Community kitchen removed and converted into a large circulation core for increased museum occupancy.
Present: Artist studio
Future: Artist studio wall partitions removed to create a large exhibition space.
Present: Community space for various events hosted by residents or more intimate artwork viewings.
Future: Community space converted into a cafe for museum visitors.