Prince of Wales Visitors Centre by RMA Architects
9 `. u1 l n/ I( F4 y
j; I6 t: P3 y$ m) u/ O* T: u3 D* k* G
Photographer Edmund Sumner has sent us these images of a shimmering steel visitors centre at a Mumbai museum.+ s0 p$ b. K3 B7 G+ E7 h- {8 ?
! n7 {* f1 Z, Y. y; n
[/url][url=http://www.rmaarchitects.com/]
4 v: H, w9 U8 B6 FRMA 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.
2 @% E* r4 @2 Y' S8 L; a; G
{& c9 J- | h9 j9 _' ~# kThin steel columns support a curving roof that overhangs the exterior walls of the centre to shelter a surrounding terrace.% J2 x0 {( b% p4 Q! e# z* L i# ]
$ y8 V, d* {1 U" U: h& |
Existing trees grow through holes in this roof, which also shelters a separate circular baggage kiosk.5 w; b$ [ Q* ?0 t% P9 |1 @
: {- d+ v/ I4 J4 V2 j" {! U
The remaining portion of the visitors centre contains a 200-seat auditorium, a ticket-office, a shop, a cafe and toilets.
* m ~) a2 v+ A* a, j( ]4 _- g$ L" m7 i. \. z+ O" P/ p
Edmund 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.! y& k6 t2 E% `) W: s
1 ] e% g9 ~9 x( J& ~/ T6 w5 w
The following text is from RMA Architects:
z* D0 k# ~: ?4 }* n+ IA visitor’s center located at the entrance of the Prince of Wales Museum, a Grade I heritage structure in Mumbai.6 |. @ `! U6 S- L
The 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.
/ T; g: y3 I1 ?+ p* T% L$ Z( J
& k; J' R1 ^' E( A5 C( DThe 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.. u5 z! X% B& r) L4 V
3 h; U! C% _4 qA lightweight, stainless steel clad elliptical roof creates a covered verandah for circulation, integrating disparate visitor programs into a consolidated and modest, yet contemporary form.3 l. N# m) O6 m
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.+ ]& K, k; d# g% _1 k2 j9 U' W
9 x4 D- e& W# d( d+ `7 @5 [7 pThe 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.) {" k. P; m! n% C/ s5 A
[Search:DCION5 Y7 {$ [0 s3 O$ Y" K& h1 b1 y
0 o0 Z9 l% d7 z* U" }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.+ `% i& F. t2 h' J2 F( ~
8 k% u( f; K+ H7 P7 K1 w! I' c$ F- s) ]
|
, \) Z- t( ?2 p$ P+ U( D7 [
$ c# \ k% [) [' n! } |
金属的外壳！怕不怕吸热！{:soso_e122:}