Fogg Art Museum Addition | 32 Quincy Street | Cambridge

Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Beeline, thanks for the pictures.

On the north side pic, is that some sort of metal or ceramic screen being installed on what looks to be aluminum framing in front of the window? There looks to be a similar screen in the SE corner pic as well.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

What do you dislike about the science center building?
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

It was a goofy concept (make a building resemble a polaroid camera) that never should have come to fruition. The manifestation of the gimmicky idea has little or no redeeming aesthetic features. It's like a fifth grader's idea writ large. "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we made a building that looked like a giant camera!" No, no it wouldn't.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Stellar this shot may help.
It looks to be a metal screen on sliders, so you can move it to block or open the window space. You are correct, the same thing is on the S side of the addition.

Fogg Museum 7:31 (N face)
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

On the other hand, the science center building and its plaza both seem to be well used, busy, and functional. Together they are a major 'crossroads' of the Harvard campus.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

sidewalks said:
It was a goofy concept (make a building resemble a polaroid camera) that never should have come to fruition. The manifestation of the gimmicky idea has little or no redeeming aesthetic features. It's like a fifth grader's idea writ large. "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we made a building that looked like a giant camera!" No, no it wouldn't.
Click to expand...

Old wives tale. Don't believe it.

cca
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

BeeLine, you are correct. It looks to be a screen panel on tracks.

harvard00.jpg


hamrp02.jpg


Other renderings here:
http://www.designboom.com/architecture/renzo-piano-harvard-art-museums-renovation-underway/

Wonder how much this indulgence of architectural whimsy cost?
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Hmm, but as far as function goes - how is screen panel different from blinds?
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Smartiro said:
Hmm, but as far as function goes - how is screen panel different from blinds?
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It's a massive difference. The best way to stop solar gain is to prevent from the outside because once the heat is in, it is in regardless of if you have the blinds drawn. Brise-soleil is a critical sustainable facade strategy.

Here's a rough section I just drew and scanned to explain:
Capture_zps89eb4d96.png
 
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Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

datadyne, although this sliding screen is on the north side, so any sunlight is indirect.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Its architecture folks ... this building has something like 1% glazing vs. solid at the gallery box. Solar heat gain is not a concern here. Up at the skylight level they are spending the curtainwall's weight in gold for external sunshading devises to act just as you are describing, however ...this "element" on the facade is a billboard for art.

Full disclosure. I believe in my heart that Renzo Piano is the worlds greatest living architect/craftsman. I love this building.

picHarvardArtMay20_11AMw540.jpg
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

datadyne, thanks for the explanation

I'm assuming that glass box itself does not move, right? And the railings on the wall are just for show....
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Smartiro said:
datadyne, thanks for the explanation

I'm assuming that glass box itself does not move, right? And the railings on the wall are just for show....
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Something here moves. I do not know to what extent. I think it is an operable glass wall. I also think it only happens on the Broadway side, not the Carpenter Center side.

cca
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

cca said:
I believe in my heart that Renzo Piano is the worlds greatest living architect/craftsman. I love this building.

picHarvardArtMay20_11AMw540.jpg
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, as a self-confessed Piano-lover, what do you think of the Gardner addition? Personally, I can hardly think of a kind word for it, but for someone "on his page" at what level(s) do you think it works? And sorry--not meant to derail the thread.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

cca said:
Its architecture folks ... this building has something like 1% glazing vs. solid at the gallery box. Solar heat gain is not a concern here. Up at the skylight level they are spending the curtainwall's weight in gold for external sunshading devises to act just as you are describing, however ...this "element" on the facade is a billboard for art.

Full disclosure. I believe in my heart that Renzo Piano is the worlds greatest living architect/craftsman. I love this building.

picHarvardArtMay20_11AMw540.jpg
Click to expand...

Renzo seems to have the museum commissions all to himself. Well, maybe Gehry gets a few. But Renzo is everywhere you look building museums.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

Maybe the sliding panel on the north side can be the screen for a nightly light show, like God is Dog Spelled Backwards, AKA Classical Gas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbqA-cGqUHY

If the Tour de France can project fireworks on the east facade of the Arc de Triomphe, why not art on the north side of the Fogg?
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

This has the glorious aesthetic of the back side of a Market Basket.

No, let me take that back - at least the Market Basket has the monotony-breaking, functional presence of loading-dock doors.

For the hundreds of millions that this cost, it looks like Harvard got gypped pretty badly.
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

itchy said:
This has the glorious aesthetic of the back side of a Market Basket.

No, let me take that back - at least the Market Basket has the monotony-breaking, functional presence of loading-dock doors.

For the hundreds of millions that this cost, it looks like Harvard got gypped pretty badly.
Click to expand...
The basket of Market Basket museums is not an empty one..

air_space.jpg


ED-AK616_nga_G_20091207115101.jpg
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

I really like Piano, but this facade falls flat on its face. The sections of the building and interior spacial relationships are absolutely incredible, but something went wrong with this facade.

Why couldn't we have gotten something similar to this for the Fogg?
institutespan.jpg

Art Institute of Chicago
 
Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition

datadyne007 said:
I really like Piano, but this facade falls flat on its face. The sections of the building and interior spacial relationships are absolutely incredible, but something went wrong with this facade.

Why couldn't we have gotten something similar to this for the Fogg?
institutespan.jpg

Art Institute of Chicago
Click to expand...
Ah, maybe because that is a north facing facade?

And even with that, the entire first floor and part of the second floor, are not gallery space.

Hermitage_19.JPG


IIRC, the paintings in this room at the Hermitage are Italian Old Masters. The Hermitage's DaVinci is next to a window. All north facade, overlooking the river, Neva.
 
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