PLAYING WITH NON-UNIFORMITY

 PLAYING WITH NON-UNIFORMITY


THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

LOCATED AT : BILBAO, BIZKAIA, SPAIN

ARCHITECT : FRANK GEHRY

AREA : 350,000 sq. ft.

YEAR :  1991-1997







Set on the edge of the Nervon River in Bilbao‭, ‬Spain, the Guggenheim Museum is a fusion of complex‭, ‬swirling forms and captivating materiality that responds to an intricate program and an industrial urban context. The building is characterized by twisted, lines that are curving as well as a series of interlinking volumes made up of limestone coated with orthogonal shapes while some are made up of titanic skin.Twenty years on, the Museum continues to challenge assumptions about the connections between art and architecture‭ today.


THE DESIGN

A glass curtain wall complements this design making the building to be transparent. The color of the limestone was dictated by the match it will bring with the existing building, Deusto University. The glass used was treated to help protect the inside of the building from heat as well as radiation while making sure that light penetrated. Additionally the titanium which looked like fish scale added beauty to the building (Bucher 73).

It is over 50 meters tall and well illuminated thanks to the wide windows. The space used for exhibition has 20 galleries having unusually irregularity, exhibition of huge art works and some having a classical proportion.

Although the metallic form of the exterior looks almost floral from above‭, ‬from the ground the building more closely resembles a boat‭, ‬evoking the past industrial life of the port of Bilbao‭. ‬Constructed of titanium‭, ‬limestone‭, ‬and glass‭, ‬the seemingly random curves of the exterior are designed to catch the light and react to the sun and the weather‭.  ‬Fixing clips make a shallow central dent in each of the‭ .‬38mm titanium tiles‭, ‬making the surface appear to ripple in the changing light and giving an extraordinary iridescence to the overall composition‭. 

Another important urban component is the circulation along the riverfront. Using a pond in front of the museum and using the circulation in a theatrical and dynamic way, gives the impression that the river reaches the edge of the building.




THE SPACES

The building contains an auditorium accommodating 300 seating visitor, a restaurant, two cafes, a store and a bookshop. These blocks were designed in such a way that it is possible to access them from the museum square or from outside the building thus making it possible to be operated independently. The atrium ensures that visitors are able to see the hills and estuary.

The floors of the galleries are linked to a system of curved walk ways which are suspended from the ceiling, glass lifts as well as stairs. The building was design in such a way that it looks like a ship, this indeed goes well with the presence of the river hence deemed to be environmentally friendly

The large‭, ‬light-filled atrium serves as the organizing center of the museum‭, ‬distributing 11,000‭ ‬square meters of exhibition space over nineteen galleries‭. ‬Ten of these galleries follow a classic orthogonal plan that can be identified from the exterior by a limestone finish‭. ‬The remaining nine galleries are identified from the outside by swirling organic forms clad in titanium‭. ‬The largest gallery is 30‭ ‬meters wide and 130‭ ‬meters long and houses a permanent installation called‭ ‬‮“‬The Matter of Time‮”‬‭ ‬by Richard Serra‭.


It is impossible to describe the emotion of this space. Gehry claims that the titanium skin of the exterior actually trembles in a strong wind, as if the building was breathing. But it is here, in the atrium, that the building comes to life. Its undulating, erotic form twists up toward the sky, as if to suck the visitor up into some wonderful dream.











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