The brand new Museum of Design in Barcelona by Martorell, Bohigas, Mackay architects opened last week. I took a plane to visit it in person as well as to shoot some photos of the building and the exhibition galleries. The building is quite interesting but I don't like the zinc cladding which is a bit dull, guess it will get better over time when it will develop a patina.
Thanks for posting. The form of the building is nice - kind of looks like a re-interpretation of Marcel Breuer's style.
But the interiors look ordinary and institutional, and that plaza is charmless. How did you feel seeing them in person?
I visited Barcelona 10 years ago and remember walking around this area near the Agbar tower - it was kind of a mess with construction and road work. It had a very suburban approach to building setbacks and site usage that contradicted the logic of Cerda's plan. Is that still the case around this site? It's a shame when bad planning undermines good architecture.
Riccardo Bianchini
Dec 23, 14 10:03 am
Dear midlander,
the interiors are not bad, although not very spectacular. The escalators space is quite dynamic but a bit too tight to be truly iconic.
The plaza is quite ordinary, the pool below is nice but the public space lacks a proper landscape design with almost no trees and a lawn which access is forbidden for no apparent reason. Probably the area is a bit better compared to what you have once seen there, because the public realm has been redesigned trying to link the Agbar tower and the Museum to one another. Nevertheless I suppose this outdoor space will be absolutely unwelcoming and overheated in summer: too much concrete paving and too few shading and refreshing vegetation.
3tk
Dec 23, 14 10:37 am
The escalators do look great, at least in the photos - I enjoyed the tight circulation spaces in many of the buildings in BCN, makes nice changes in tempo. Sad to see such a poor use of outdoor space in a city that has so many lovely plazas and parks. bummer.
Nice addition to the architecture of the city though - can't wait to see it some time.
The brand new Museum of Design in Barcelona by Martorell, Bohigas, Mackay architects opened last week. I took a plane to visit it in person as well as to shoot some photos of the building and the exhibition galleries. The building is quite interesting but I don't like the zinc cladding which is a bit dull, guess it will get better over time when it will develop a patina.
I post here some of the most interesting images.
Additionally,
Thanks for posting. The form of the building is nice - kind of looks like a re-interpretation of Marcel Breuer's style.
But the interiors look ordinary and institutional, and that plaza is charmless. How did you feel seeing them in person?
I visited Barcelona 10 years ago and remember walking around this area near the Agbar tower - it was kind of a mess with construction and road work. It had a very suburban approach to building setbacks and site usage that contradicted the logic of Cerda's plan. Is that still the case around this site? It's a shame when bad planning undermines good architecture.
Dear midlander,
the interiors are not bad, although not very spectacular. The escalators space is quite dynamic but a bit too tight to be truly iconic.
The plaza is quite ordinary, the pool below is nice but the public space lacks a proper landscape design with almost no trees and a lawn which access is forbidden for no apparent reason. Probably the area is a bit better compared to what you have once seen there, because the public realm has been redesigned trying to link the Agbar tower and the Museum to one another. Nevertheless I suppose this outdoor space will be absolutely unwelcoming and overheated in summer: too much concrete paving and too few shading and refreshing vegetation.
The escalators do look great, at least in the photos - I enjoyed the tight circulation spaces in many of the buildings in BCN, makes nice changes in tempo. Sad to see such a poor use of outdoor space in a city that has so many lovely plazas and parks. bummer.
Nice addition to the architecture of the city though - can't wait to see it some time.