LOUISVILLE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM DESIGN COMPETITION
THE LOUISVILLE CHAPTERS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS AND CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATION INSTITUTE SPONSORED AN IDEAS COMPETITION FOR THE DESIGN OF A CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, PARK, AND TECHNOLOGY BUILDING/GARAGE ADJACENT TO THE HISTORIC MAIN PUBLIC LIBRARY IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE. JRA COLLABORATED WITH MKSK STUDIOS ON THE DESIGN
PROJECT STATEMENT:
THE LOUISVILLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM EXPLORES THE FLUID RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MUSEUM PARTICIPANT, THE PERFORMATIVE LANDSCAPE, AND THE SURROUNDING URBAN FRAMEWORK. THE BUILDING’S ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION EMBRACES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION. THE SHAPE OF THE MUSEUM IS GENERATED FROM THE LOUISVILLE AREA GEOMORPHOLOGY, A SERIES OF LAYERS AND FLOWSTONE FORMS CREATED WHEN DEPOSITS BUILD ON EACH OTHER AND ARE ERODED BY WATER AND TIME. THE BUILDING MASS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE IMPACT OF THE IMPORTANT LANDMARKS SURROUNDING THE SITE. THE BUILDING’S FIVE STORIES MODULATE THE SCALE BETWEEN THE MIDRISE BROADWAY CONTEXT AND THE LOW RISE OF THE MAIN LIBRARY SOUTH. ACKNOWLEDGING ENTRANCE ON THE URBAN CORNER, RESPECTING THE SIDEWALK EDGE ALIGNMENT OF THE BUILDING’S MASS, ARTICULATING THE GLAZING PROJECTIONS DERIVED FROM THE BAY SPACING OF THE ADJACENT BUILDINGS, AND DIVIDING THE ELEVATION’S COMPONENTS BASED ON SULLIVANESQUE TALL OFFICE BUILDING PROPORTIONS GENERATED A DISTINCTIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE PROFILE WITHIN THIS HISTORIC URBAN CORRIDOR. MOREOVER, THE BLOCK LIMESTONE CLADDING PAYS DIRECT TRIBUTE TO THE HISTORIC WING OF THE MAIN LIBRARY, THE PATH CUT THROUGH THE MUSEUM TO THE LIBRARY SERVING AS A MOST LITERAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO INSTITUTIONS. AS THE OLMSTEAD LANDSCAPE APPROPRIATELY CONTEXTUALIZES THE BEAUX ARTS FAÇADE TO ITS MORE RESIDENTIALLY SCALED CONTEXT TO THE SOUTH, THE MUSEUM PLAZASCAPE REFLECTS THE PEDESTRIAN FOCUSED URBAN HARDSCAPE RISING TO THE NORTH.
THE LOUISVILLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM SEEKS TO DRAW PEOPLE IN BY DISSOLVING THE ECOTONE BETWEEN LANDSCAPE, BUILDING, AND INTERIOR EXHIBIT SPACES, CREATING A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE BUILT CITY AND THE WILD LANDSCAPE.
PROJECT STATEMENT:
THE LOUISVILLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM EXPLORES THE FLUID RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MUSEUM PARTICIPANT, THE PERFORMATIVE LANDSCAPE, AND THE SURROUNDING URBAN FRAMEWORK. THE BUILDING’S ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION EMBRACES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION. THE SHAPE OF THE MUSEUM IS GENERATED FROM THE LOUISVILLE AREA GEOMORPHOLOGY, A SERIES OF LAYERS AND FLOWSTONE FORMS CREATED WHEN DEPOSITS BUILD ON EACH OTHER AND ARE ERODED BY WATER AND TIME. THE BUILDING MASS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE IMPACT OF THE IMPORTANT LANDMARKS SURROUNDING THE SITE. THE BUILDING’S FIVE STORIES MODULATE THE SCALE BETWEEN THE MIDRISE BROADWAY CONTEXT AND THE LOW RISE OF THE MAIN LIBRARY SOUTH. ACKNOWLEDGING ENTRANCE ON THE URBAN CORNER, RESPECTING THE SIDEWALK EDGE ALIGNMENT OF THE BUILDING’S MASS, ARTICULATING THE GLAZING PROJECTIONS DERIVED FROM THE BAY SPACING OF THE ADJACENT BUILDINGS, AND DIVIDING THE ELEVATION’S COMPONENTS BASED ON SULLIVANESQUE TALL OFFICE BUILDING PROPORTIONS GENERATED A DISTINCTIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE PROFILE WITHIN THIS HISTORIC URBAN CORRIDOR. MOREOVER, THE BLOCK LIMESTONE CLADDING PAYS DIRECT TRIBUTE TO THE HISTORIC WING OF THE MAIN LIBRARY, THE PATH CUT THROUGH THE MUSEUM TO THE LIBRARY SERVING AS A MOST LITERAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO INSTITUTIONS. AS THE OLMSTEAD LANDSCAPE APPROPRIATELY CONTEXTUALIZES THE BEAUX ARTS FAÇADE TO ITS MORE RESIDENTIALLY SCALED CONTEXT TO THE SOUTH, THE MUSEUM PLAZASCAPE REFLECTS THE PEDESTRIAN FOCUSED URBAN HARDSCAPE RISING TO THE NORTH.
THE LOUISVILLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM SEEKS TO DRAW PEOPLE IN BY DISSOLVING THE ECOTONE BETWEEN LANDSCAPE, BUILDING, AND INTERIOR EXHIBIT SPACES, CREATING A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE BUILT CITY AND THE WILD LANDSCAPE.