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The previous
dose featured the design for the American
Folk Art Museum, designed by New York's
Tod Williams
Billie Tsien Associates, in their words
and images. Here we present images from the completed building
(opened on Dec. 11, 2001, next to the Museum of Modern Art in
Manhattan) and a critique of the museum.
Only 40 feet wide, the Folk Art Museum
has one primary facade, facing 53rd Street. The architects opted
to design a facade that is simple in its composition yet complex
in detail, as each tombasil panel that comprises the facade differs
from the others through variations in pouring methods (some molds
were smooth steel, some irregular concrete). An overcast sky
greeted me as I visited the museum, effectively muting the panels
into a flat, subdued facade. With the facade facing south, it
is apparent the effect would be dramatically different on a sunny
day, or any condition in between. More importantly the panels
present the visitor with a handcrafted, yet industrious method,
indicative of the inside, of both the architecture and the artwork. |
