This is an entry in international
competition for 17,800 m2 new building of the Maribor Art Gallery in Maribor,
Slovenia. The complex and heterogeneous program includes galleries for
permanent collection of modern and contemporary visual art and periodical
exhibitions (5,200m2), children’s center (750 m2), design center (450 m2),
live-work creative center (1700 m2), lecture room, library, catering (700 m2),
offices, depository, and underground parking garage.
In addition to animate forms we manipulate movement
in order to induce the production of new urban life.
Because of the substantial 6m slope of the site, the access to the building is designed from two different levels.
Our study of pedestrian traffic density led to a main entrance from Drava River
embankment and pier. At the same level ±0 is also the
connection to existing parking garage
under the Market. The other pedestrian entrance is from the existing street
level +4m. The two cross intersected
access paths merge into one multistory
concourse plaza. It serves also as distributing hub, outdoor lobby, service
center, and check point.
The urban scheme of the Museum building is
inspired by the typical Maribor city block of perimeter buildings surrounding enclosed plaza/courtyard. Gradual spaces of covered plaza/lapidarium and open
outdoor plazaconnect the different parts of the building and are
partially open towards the
embankment and the pier. One wing contains the “sky” program with the
primary function of periodical and permanent exhibition galleries and the other wing – the “earth” program with
supporting and secondary functions of children’s center, design center,
library, etc. Each one of the
wings has its own vertical circulation core. The one of exhibition
galleries and management offices is enclosed and with controlled access. The other one has a set of escalators and is open from
the plaza to all other functions. Two
story plaza with open vertical
core concept allows lecture room, catering, children’s
center/ playground, library, design center, and creative
center to operate
independently after museum hours and to serve not only the Museum visitors but
also an outside crowd. At
the entry wedge of the plaza there is a removable screen or stage for outdoor
performances at summertime.
In the Program there is a clause of preserving the existing east-west
street which divides the site in two. Our proposed building bridges over and tunnel under the existing
street and physically connects the two parts of the site.
Three
dimensional loop interconnects periodical exhibitions galleries which have
different illumination, heights, and proportions, suitable for variety of exhibitions and artists/curators requirements.