Competition Proposal for Water and Sculpture Hills ICHIHARA

We proposed enveloping the existing reinforced concrete museum with a wooden structure, thus totally changing the facade and its function. The wooden louvers create a gentle conoid-shape surface as a new layer. The new layer conceals the existing volume and integrates the old layer, which has a complex and grotesque facade. A new activity space then appears in between these two layers. We take full advantage of the existing building structure, so we did not propose adding large-scale structural improvements. We could reduce renovation costs by adding a simple frame and also propose repurposing the existing facade as an exhibition wall.
The vertical wooden louvers are made of weatherproof Tali engineered wood (150mm x 450mm). They are simply leaned between the existing parapet and the ground. They would act not only as a new layer but also regulate sunlight, ventilation and privacy. That is, they can prevent people on the outside from looking inside, while permitting those inside to look out, similar to Yoshizu, which is one of Japans’s traditional screening devices.
The sequential spaces beneath the louvers would be enjoyable approaches to the museum. We would like to call it ‘Art Loop’ as a space combined with not only art works but also something like cafe facilities, and additionally, architecture itself.