Portland Museum of Art Expansion | Portland

mainejeff said:
Well I got my "sail" inspired design with the Toshiko rendering.....but that is my #2 choice. I like the LEVER design better....sleek & modern.....yet organic and understated. Love the curved roofline.
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Lever design seems more "Maine" too. Just make it taller ;)
 
WOW! They are all amazing but I'll take the Toshiko Mori design please. Talk about a signature building on the skyline and I love how they integrated the Children's Museum/Chamber of Commerce facade into the entrance and the interior is stunning. The Adjaye Associates design would be my second favorite.
 
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I will admit, I only caught this on my third or fourth watch:

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LEVER is my favorite - maybe even by far. I like the interior spaces of the Mori, but I'm hesitant on theform/materials for the exterior. I'm also not sold that we need to keep the Childrens Museum facade.
 
I stand corrected. The PMA has done a great job of selecting four firms with contrasting styles to help stimulate the possibilities. It's tough, but I would go with Toshiko Mori . Her design is the most beautiful, an art sculpture in itself, and its prominence on the skyline at twilight from the harbor side is breathtaking. It's important to have a top floor with views, food, and drink offerings too. It's why people come back. She has that. I do like the Lever design too, but the rooftop space will be unusable for most of the year, and the design has much less of a "wow factor" than Mori's. And, the building's contrast with the existing PMA facade is complementary.
 
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These are all stunning! I'm torn between Adjaye Associates and Toshiko Mori.

The Toshiko Mori design would really be a stunning addition to the skyline, but I love the cantilevered design and palate of Adjaye Associates
 
I love the boldness of Toshiko Mori design, but as others have noted, the Lever design feels more "Maine" and I love the curved roof. I do like this aspect of the Adjaye design, as well as their interior feel and flow. They fall flat on the Free Street side, though.

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After some additional thought, I would say my preferences would be:
1) Toshiko Moi
2) Lever
2) Adjaye Associates
4) MVRDV

I'm actually not too keen on the MVRDV design. Sure it's interesting, but to me it comes across as trying too hard to be "unique" and "bold"
 
After watching the videos again I've come up with my final ranking with an understanding that I would be extremely proud to have any of my top 3 come to fruition:

1) Toshiko Mori
2) Adjaye Associates
3) Lever Architecture
4) MVRDV
 
Portlander said:
with an understanding that I would be extremely proud to have any of my top 3 come to fruition:
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Completely agreed. All of the "top 3" are stunning in their own way, and no matter what design ends up moving forward, it be architectural masterpiece for the city. I'm very excited to see this become a reality.
 
I think the Mori design would put Portland on the national map for museums--maybe even internationally. For those who say things should look "more Maine," I think Portland has gone over the half-way mark to being less Maine than not. And that's not a bad thing because much or most of the state still kind of lives, looks, and thinks it's in the 20th Century.
 
I won't have time to watch the videos until tonight, but just going by the single image on the previous page I actually like MVRDV best, mainly because it's the only one that appears to preserve the copper beech tree.
 
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Historically relevant building especially knowing that John Calvin Stevens was involved in the restoration in 1926. Very clever of Toshiko Mori to implement the facade into the entrance design.
 
I will say, I think the Toshiko Mori team did the best job at using their video to really highlight how this could be an architectural centerpiece for the whole city, not just the immediate PMA campus

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The Free St exterior of the Mori just feels like a residential solarium/sunroom to me, I think that's one reason why I'm not as excited as some of you. And I can't tell if it looks dated or not. I love the interior, though. I don't care if the LEVER looks like Maine or not. I do, however, like the use of mass timber/CLT in addition to the the general form. The Free St face is a little confusing to me. Once again, on this one, I love the interior too. I don't hate the Adjaye, although I'm not sure I like the Free St side. I also didn't like that they didn't show much/any of the exhibit space in the video. The MVRDV is weird and cool, but the spaces feel smaller/tighter to me - I prefer some larger expanses, especially in the lobby. The concept also doesn't feel as flushed out as the rest - or maybe they just didn't put as much time into the presentation.
 
The Mori vision is just so daring and outside the box for northern New England which is maybe why I'm drawn to it. We tend to criticize the basic run of the mill architecture we've gotten accustomed to over the past 50 years and now the opportunity may arise to have visitors from "away" talking about our museum and its stunning design. Now if it had just an average interior concept and decor I would not be as enamored with the overall plan but the inside is impressive also. It will be interesting to follow the process that will lead to the final selection down the road!
 
On a less important but still exciting note, the Mori one would be a nice look across for those inside the Westin's Top of the East Lounge. It has an all-glass top floor that would be lit up at night. Goodbye Holiday Inn view.
 
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Portlander said:
WOW! They are all amazing but I'll take the Toshiko Mori design please. Talk about a signature building on the skyline and I love how they integrated the Children's Museum/Chamber of Commerce facade into the entrance and the interior is stunning. The Adjaye Associates design would be my second favorite.
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Agree 100%
 
Mori is my number 1 pick. The video also shows the new sculpture across the street. Alot of detail. I am waiting for the brick lovers to come out and demand 19th century brick....this design would take some architectural awards outside Maine..
 
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