MOA - Museum Of Architecture

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MOA - Museum Of Architecture

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Type

Commercial › Exhibition Center
Cultural › Gallery Hall/Theater Cultural Center Museum
Industrial › Power Plant
Landscape + Planning › Public Park Masterplan

“ I believe in a
middle line in architecture. I hold no brief either for the diehard
traditionalist or the extreme modernist. It seems idle to me to compare styles
and say that one is better than the other " _ Sir Giles Gilbert Scott

Sir G. Scott, the man who designed Battersea Power Station,
was a master in blending gothic tradition with modernism and he created some of
the most legendary landmarks of his time.

The concept design for the new Museum Of Architecture
aims to engage the deepest roots of this listed building to a unique,
sustainable and contemporary design.

A building that is the symbol and beholder of an
extraordinary history demands an approach which evokes, inspires and remembers
its stories by retaining the visual memory of all its art deco details,
including its cracked walls, marks, broken beams, etc.

Therefore the decision was made to preserve the existing
conditions of the station as it is, like a magnificent relic, and to insert
into the general volume an unexpected three-dimensional wrapping element that
will neither change or affect the walls but, to the contrary, will actually
prevent their further decadency, creating at the same time a new dialogue
between the past and the future like the intentions of that believed middle
line.

The Three main halls are covered in translucent ETFE
embracing the verticality, the rhythm and the language of the aesthetically
pleasing shapes of the arches and the fine balance in heights between the two
side turbine halls and the spacious-central hall.

The dramatic theatricality is maintained in this epic space,
typical of the gothic style, while the innovative inflated material itself and
its advanced technology becomes a symbol of modernity.

The ETFE creates new spaces for the Museum of Architecture,
contributes to the control of the internal temperature and works also as a
screen to protect the building yet still allowing for the view of all the
original details.

We believe that sustainability, in this case, does not only
mean introducing technology to reduce consumption or using clean energy but
moreover radically cutting energy use and waste materials that would
certainly be involved in a renovation process of the entire building.

Due to the nature of this non-invasive approach, the
exterior site area becomes a natural extension of BatterseaPark
where functions and services are integrated into the landscape design. Shapes
and materials will be reminiscent of a dismissed industrial field that during
the years has been naturally incorporated and merged harmoniously with the
green.

note:ETFE (Ethylene Tetra Flouro Ethylene)
installation is treated with a Multi-layer cushions system to incorporate
movable layers and intelligent (offset) printing to allow light transmission
and solar gain control.A series of micro wind turbines inside
the four chimneys harness the power of the air extraction
form the building and use it to generate electricity for
the air handling units to keep the cushions continually inflated