Museums and Libraries: The Latest Architecture and News

Rotterdam-based practice BUBE has shared with us their third-place winning proposal in the Classic Siftung Weimar international competition for the New Bauhaus Museum. Three translucent cubes are clustered together in an effort to maximize open space and reorganize the site with a focus of intensifying the interactions between park and museum visitors. BUBE’s proposal is one of the final four designs still competing. The jury is expected to announce the winning design this summer. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The concept design for the extension of the city library by Studio Metar results from the thesis that a contemporary library is a source of information with unlimited access. The message of the design lies in the mentioned thesis, but it should also be emphasized that the idea of a library is a reserved, quiet, isolated, static, but not transparent place filled with books, due to the increasing need for faster and better access to information and a more complex lifestyle, is not viable in the present age. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The first prize winning proposal for the Museum Nasional Indonesia by Aboday aims to bring back this massive institution to its original role as a public facility. Their design addresses the question of urban context by inserting a new corridor between the existing museum building (A) and building (B) that will maintain an openness to the pedestrian and city park on the Eastern part of the complex. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Understanding that environmental responsibility is an integral part of design excellence, Perkins + Will’s new Atlantic office, known as 1315 Peachtree, serves as an example on how current technologies can be used to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, meet the 2030 Challenge and help reduce toxic materials from our building products.

1315 Peachtree is an adaptive reuse of a 1985 office structure transformed into a high performance civic-focused building. Located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta across from the High Museum of Art, the new building continues to house the Peachtree Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library and introduces a new street-level tenant space occupied by the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA). The Perkins+Will Atlanta office occupies the top four floors with office space for up to 240 employees. Continue reading for more information on the highest LEED score building in the Northern Hemisphere.

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After years of planning and widespread community support, the new Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, designed by Grimshaw Architects, broke ground in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park just last week. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at the museum’s new site overlooking Biscayne Bay, marking the continuation of Miami’s rise as one of the world’s most culturally rich cities. The groundbreaking event marks the beginning of construction, with the new museum scheduled to open to the public by early 2015. More images and project description after the break.