Prince of Wales Visitors Centre by RMA Architects9 g; s7 m4 a& Z
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Photographer Edmund Sumner has sent us these images of a shimmering steel visitors centre at a Mumbai museum.% o* t$ c# n* N& x0 M; `8 _( \
$ t0 y3 s% g1 s) ~[/url][url=http://www.rmaarchitects.com/]
. {- s x9 R0 q1 Q. ]& XRMA Architects designed the elliptical building at the entrance to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum), where historical Indian artefacts and artworks are exhibited.
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Thin steel columns support a curving roof that overhangs the exterior walls of the centre to shelter a surrounding terrace.
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Existing trees grow through holes in this roof, which also shelters a separate circular baggage kiosk.
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The remaining portion of the visitors centre contains a 200-seat auditorium, a ticket-office, a shop, a cafe and toilets.
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" z4 d0 y. X0 [! C6 D) `6 tEdmund Sumner has photographed a number of buildings in Mumbai – see our earlier stories about a corporate office block beside a slum and a wood-clad temple., L9 M, r* i7 t9 n3 I
& [3 k8 W3 I: ?8 V5 VThe following text is from RMA Architects:
% G+ k A0 U7 LA visitor’s center located at the entrance of the Prince of Wales Museum, a Grade I heritage structure in Mumbai.
/ o6 s* A$ v9 r9 _9 N4 {) Y' }3 CThe contemporary structure expands upon the footprint of a previously existing multipurpose hall, and is a part of an expansion plan for this prestigious urban landmark.) g" {" ?* V* \; O) K
( N0 t5 X' ^0 N0 X$ V: K9 Q4 NThe center fulfills various programmatic functions, ranging from the integration of baggage collection and storage, to ticketing and security, as well as a museum shop, two hundred seat auditorium, and rest rooms.
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2 m6 P' w0 H; l& d. v mA lightweight, stainless steel clad elliptical roof creates a covered verandah for circulation, integrating disparate visitor programs into a consolidated and modest, yet contemporary form.
9 m& E# h# K' k0 ]" ?Glass and metal surfaces exist as a visual counterpoint to stout basalt stone of local heritage structures. Reflective material planes create a paradoxical visual poetry in which archaic forms of the adjacent museum are recast and distorted in a new perspective.9 U% F, U9 F' V$ s
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The pre-defined footprint is organically punctured by existing trees that project through openings in the roof, yielding localized deviations in the otherwise low-key scale spaces.# w6 j6 B% y+ |" o# ~+ @8 K
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Integration of natural textures with modern means and materials further expands the defining narrative of the center, that of a culturally meaningful intervention within a monumental historic context.' }! u% [5 i A, e8 c
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金属的外壳！怕不怕吸热！{:soso_e122:}