CARLOW MUSEUM

  • Type Contemporary art center
  • Location Carlow, Ireland
  • Date 2001
  • Status Competition entry
  • Team
    Andrea Veglia, Benedetta Veglia,
    Francesca Thiebat, Jacopo Testa

The result of a careful evaluation of successes and failures in the design of centers for contemporary art across Europe in the former thirty years – involving directors’ interviews – the concept deals with museums as powerful marketing tools for their cities and the capability of buildings to perform their function as showcase of artworks.

A building for a contemporary art centre:
– should have character and be neutral at the same time
– should offer a good background for the changing arts it contains
– should be able to incorporate changes
– should offer an effective, easy to handle flexibility
– should offer maximum freedom to arts and visitors

In a sustainable, environment-sensitive perspective, defined by strong visual clarity and an aesthetic quality based on rhythm and order, the design strategy involves a steel structure that can be implemented, and modular external walls and windows.

The building grows additively from a core space, placed on ground level to simplify transport and accommodation of big artworks; a third row of columns along the east side generates a 4m wide spine supporting all ancillary spaces, huge plug-in capsules that can be added in phased succession.

Following a philosophy that has been proven successful for industrial buildings, external walls are based on a modular grid, with a kit of interchangeable parts where panels, windows and doors can be fixed, unfixed and moved easily: a key factor in determining lighting and consequent appreciation of artworks – as what a good illumination is depends on the nature of the collection being exhibited – and in preventing the museum fatigue in the visitors.

On the exterior, the use of two different colour coatings for the solid panels will differentiate the galleries from staff and working areas, thus enhancing the building’s legibility.