Tag: museums-and-libraries | ArchDaily

AD Classics: Olivetti Showroom / Carlo Scarpa

Jonathan Yeung — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Tucked discreetly beneath the colonnade of Saint Mark's Square in Venice, Carlo Scarpa's Olivetti Showroom exerts a quiet yet unmistakable presence. Though often overshadowed by the grandeur of nearby landmarks—St. Mark's Basilica, the Clocktower, the Loggetta, and the Procuratie Vecchie—it attracts a particular kind of visitor: those who seek out one of Scarpa's architectural gems hidden in plain sight. Modest in scale but rich in detail, the showroom is meticulously maintained by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), the National Trust for Italy.

Museum and Gallery Cafés: 10 Examples That Enhance the Cultural Experience

Camilla Ghisleni — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Cafés in museums and galleries do more than provide convenience — they have become an essential part of today’s cultural experience. As Claire Bishop explains in her idea of the “expanded aesthetic experience,” cultural spaces now include hybrid environments that encourage new ways of engaging, socializing, and reflecting. In this context, cafés are not just places to rest; they extend the visit on both sensory and symbolic levels, offering moments of interaction and contemplation in carefully designed settings. By blending architecture, art, and hospitality, they help create immersive and welcoming atmospheres — a concept already hinted at by Brian O’Doherty, who viewed exhibition spaces as an integral part of the artwork itself.

From Vault to Exhibition: The Role of Display Cases in the World’s Libraries

Enrique Tovar — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 01:30:00 +0000

Before the emergence of AI, the internet, and TV— books and manuscripts were the primary vessels of knowledge. These artifacts, now echoing voices from the past, have played a fundamental role in shaping our shared legacy. A pivotal moment in this evolution came in the 15th century with Gutenberg's invention of the printing press, which revolutionized access to information and laid the groundwork for the democratization of knowledge. As a result of their historical and cultural significance, many early manuscripts and incunabula (books printed during the earliest period of typography) have been preserved in libraries and often remained in the shadows.

Interior Urbanism: The Implications of Indoor Public Space

Ankitha Gattupalli — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Contemporary cityscapes vary greatly from their early precedents, hosting urban life in sprawling interior spaces like mega-hotels, shopping malls, and transportation hubs. Soaring atriums and expansive concourses are now a normal part of the urban experience, allowing for public activity 'inside' the city. Interiors and urbanism are often considered at far ends of the spatial spectrum, with architecture serving as a mediator between the two. The growing significance of 'interior urbanism' in the functioning of the built environment demands the question - how can cities be reinvented from the inside out?

"This Building Belongs to the People": Cape Verde’s New Centre for Art, Crafts and Design

Romullo Baratto — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 05:00:00 +0000

There are two ways to get to Cape Verde, by sea or sky. Either way, we are surprised by the landscape of immense rocky masses sprouting from the Atlantic’s navel before setting foot on land. Unpopulated until the middle of the 15th century, the volcanic archipelago is made up of ten islands, nine of which are currently inhabited, with unique characteristics in each one of them — some more touristy, like Sal, others more rural, like Santo Antão — and a version of Kriolu Kabuverdianu, which is not the official language (Portuguese occupies this place), but which is by far the most widely spoken.

Why Bespoke Display Cases are Important in Museums

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 17 May 2022 01:30:00 +0000

Museums play a key role in the preservation and dissemination of culture and knowledge. They can exhibit works of art, documents, photographs, historical artifacts or even plants and trees. Although today there are entirely virtual exhibition spaces, the primary functions of traditional museums are the conservation and protection of objects, which are invaluable due to their historical relevance, rarity or market value. From simple “Do not touch” signs to tape, security guards, or glass displays, each object receives a type of protection that is in accordance to its needs. These types of protection, in turn, must consider both the safety of the object, whilst also allowing for its appreciation and conservation, creating a controlled environment for the exposed object that preserves it indefinitely.

What Exactly is the Art Museum in Modern Times?

Lauren McQuistion — Mon, 17 May 2021 03:30:00 +0000

"Is a museum defined by its collection? Or by its architecture? In The Art Museum in Modern Times, Charles Saumarez Smith suggests it is both and still something more". Lauren McQuistion, an architectural designer and Ph.D. Candidate in the Constructed Environment at the University of Virginia School of Architecture discusses in her Architect's Newspaper piece, Saumarez's book, exploring the notion of a modern museum.

Roof & Mushrooms Pavilion / nendo + Ryue Nishizawa

Daniel Sánchez — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 20:00:00 +0000

A small pavilion on the campus of Kyoto University of Art and Design, born from a collaboration between architect Ryue Nishizawa and design office nendo. The location: a steep hill face covered in luxurious vegetation.

Fine Arts Museum of Asturias / Francisco Mangado

Daniel Sánchez — Mon, 25 May 2020 22:00:00 +0000

The project addresses the whole complex, including the future of the Velarde Palace and the Casa Oviedo-Portal. Only through such a comprehensive approach can the optimal functioning of an institution as important as the Fine Arts Museum of Asturias be guaranteed.

Yanqing Grape Expo / Archea Associati

Cristian Aguilar — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 22:00:00 +0000

Officially opening on July 25, the international wine exhibition is part of a broader program of initiatives sponsored by the Chinese government for the 11th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics, scheduled to take place in China for the first time from July 28 to August 2. The conference is an international event with a worldwide scope covering issues related to agriculture and grapevine cultivation, in particular, taken as a key to developing contemporary wine culture. The exhibition garden covers almost 200 hectares designed and built for the occasion with artificial lakes, greenhouses, museums, gardens, a visitor center, landscape towers and bridges that enhance the visibility and use of this garden near the Great Wall.

Stone Art Gallery / O-office Architects

Karen Valenzuela — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 22:00:00 +0000

For the past decades, the Pearl River Delta Area (PRD) has experienced the ever fastest urbanization and grown into the so-call World Factory, producing more than 70% of the world’s daily products. Due to the large-scale urban sprawl plus the pressure from rapid industrial transition in this region, many of the former state industry were moved from the city to the outskirt of PRD.

Heavenly Water Service Center of International Horticultural Exposition 2014 / HHD_FUN

Cristian Aguilar — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The International Horticultural Exposition 2014 opened in Qingdao on April 25th; the two service centers, “Heavenly Water (Tianshui)” and “Earthy Pond (Dichi)”, are named after the two extant lakes on Baiguo Mountain where the buildings are respectively located. As the primary architecture of the Expo area, the buildings undertook multiple functions including circulation hub, activity center, restaurant, recreational landscape, cultural communication, exhibition, etc. Considering the distinctive nature of the architecture and its geographical location, the following unique relationships require particular design treatments:

Two Moon / Moon Hoon

Cristian Aguilar — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

The client:

Galeria Adriana Varejao / Tacoa Arquitetos

Daniel Sánchez — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 15:00:00 +0000

Inhotim Centro de Arte Contemporânea is located in Brumadinho, a village near Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state. A personal initiative of the mining industry businessman Bernardo Paz, the museum has an unusual architectural concept. Instead of sum up all its installations into a unique building, it is composed of many pavilions spread out in a park of approximately 35 hectares.

EVOA - Environmental Interpretation Center / Maisr Arquitetos

Javier Gaete — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 16:00:00 +0000

The building proposal aims to respect the programmatic requirements, developing a museum area, especially an interpretation area related to the observation of birds in their natural habitat, in parallel providing support for research and leisure.

Tree Art Museum / Daipu Architects

Javier Gaete — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 15:00:00 +0000

Located in Songzhuang, Beijing China, Tree art museum lies beside the main road of the area. Original village has vanished, replaced by big scale blocks which better fit for cars. Even if renowned as artist village, it’s difficult to stay or enjoy art exploration without local artist friend’s introducing. So, the first idea was to create an ambient, a public space where people would like to stay, date and communicate.

The Pinch Library And Community Center / John Lin + Olivier Ottevaere

Cristian Aguilar — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 15:00:00 +0000

THE PINCH is a library and community center in Shuanghe Village, Yunnan Province, China. The project is part of a government led reconstruction effort after an earthquake in Sept 2012. The majority of village houses were destroyed, leaving the residents living in tents for up to one year. After the earthquake the government has sponsored new concrete and brick houses and a large central plaza. During the first site visit, the houses remained incomplete and the plaza was a large empty site.

Xiang Jing + Qu Guangci Sculpture Studio / aterlier100s+1

Karen Valenzuela — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The mountain shape building gradually setback towards northwest, in case of that, the pressure from huge building volume has been reduced, meanwhile, realizing better lighting and ventilation.