London, GB | Colombo, LK
The Kunsthal is a chameleon, ever-changing as you study its forms. The four parts of the museum each adopt a structure appropriate to the framing of the relevant program. The columns are vital, jumping out of their traditional neatness and prevalence to create a new rhythm. Conventional concepts of structure are transformed with common brace patterns turning into a rainbow arc in the roof plane, and typically stagnant frames becoming a changing cascade. The interrupted red curve in the roof plane constructs its own dynamic alongside the steeply inclined moment frame in the lecture hall, suggesting gradient, resistance and a potent energy. In the Kunsthal, structure is kinetic.
Status: Built
Location: Rotterdam, NL
Firm Role: Architect
Additional Credits: Collaborators: OMA, Arup AGU