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Milwaukee Art Museum Tinkering

evilplatypus

From the Milwaukee journal Sentinal -

"Entering the museum is an event. You don't need a sophisticated grasp of architectural design to know this. Anyone who's taken even a cursory notice of visitors walking in the doors these last seven years can tell you - it's written on people's faces.

Openness is essential to the experience of this architecture, a constantly changing, kinetic space.

Now, instead of that first expansive view, with marble floors reflecting the lines and volumes of the building and the lake beyond, we see people's backsides. We see people waiting in line, a couple of desks and cash registers."


"Keegan has failed to understand something fundamental to the institution he runs: The building is the visitor experience."

link

 
Aug 19, 08 10:39 am
liberty bell

Wow, great article, and nice opposing photographs!

Aug 19, 08 1:41 pm  · 
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wurdan freo

yeah - it's amazing. After the architect blew the budget by 450% he didn't even consider the fact that people were going to have to pay to enter the museum in order to pay for his "great design". Calatrava really is a master.

Aug 19, 08 2:48 pm  · 
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nb072

as much as most of us dislike calatrava
i guess he is getting people excited by architecture
which is good
because then more people will be willing to pay more money
for us to do them some good stuff

the building is flawed beyond belief
but it has some beautiful moments

Aug 19, 08 3:39 pm  · 
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Yahweh

i hate it. i hate the connection or lack there of to the existing museum, and the "moments" happen twice a day...

Aug 19, 08 3:47 pm  · 
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Ea™e

I thought the Museum would enlighten those Cheesheads - introduce them to culture.....but after my trip to Summerfest last month, I was absolutely flabberghasted by the New discovery world: http://www.discoveryworld.org/
adjacent to the Calatrava Museum on the lake front.
It looks like an Illinois Tollway Industrial park warehouse with a gazebo on the end. It ruined the lakefront, the calatrava museum from both it's prominence on the shoreline, and from it's views -inside and out.
Shame shame - obviously someone had to get their 15 minutes of fame - What a crap building.

Aug 19, 08 3:53 pm  · 
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nb072

poczie,
go check out the great lake watershed exhibit inside though
it will knock your socks off
(it was obviously done by much better architects than the building)

Aug 19, 08 4:21 pm  · 
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file

My god, you're a cynical lot ... who could not love this building?



Aug 19, 08 4:53 pm  · 
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evilplatypus

I love the building but they really could have done better than the check in table in the picture - disclaimer - I havent seen it personally yet. Archinect road trip may be in order.

Aug 19, 08 10:38 pm  · 
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some person

mehhh...


My most favorite moments were in the weeks after the grand opening when the sub-contractors were still adjusting (tinkering, as this thread suggests) the bris soleil. The wings were held about 12" from the "closed" position. Absolutely unintended by the architect, which made it brilliant.

Yes, I partake in my share of disdain for this remarkably over-budget project. I've probably said it in threads before.

The project did teach me about the following architectural topics as an undergrad:

1. Expansion joints
2. Full-scale site mock-ups (i.e. one "rib" from the gallery structure)
3. Honeycombing concrete (i.e. at the main entrance)


The interior detailing of Discovery World is better than the exterior. Grace La's Great Lakes exhibit is wonderful.

Aug 20, 08 12:00 am  · 
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nb072

i would appreciate the museum more if those wings were more than just for show.

Aug 20, 08 3:19 pm  · 
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