Queens Museum of Art Conceptual Design

The new conceptual design by Elliot White, a New York based architecture student as improvisations over the Queens Museum of Art has some interesting facets to it. The said building will be constructed using the lattice structure and after covering the layer with concrete, a plasticbag will be placed as a support for hardening the concrete during construction. The design will be raised off the ground, which creates an area for public space underneath the design wherein there is flexibility so that one can organize events even when the museum is close.
Elliot says :
This project was completed in the fall of 2008 under the direction of David Ruy and Karel Klein of RuyKlein. The intention was to develop sensitivities to surface conditions. The work included physical and digital modeling experiments in cloth. The site is a redevelopment of the Queens Museum at the World’s Fair site in Queens, New York. The museum contains a permanent display of a very large-scale model of New York City’s five boroughs.

Unexpectedly the physical modeling of the cloth produced a most interesting and unintended result. This unexpected result however, provided a fantastic jumping off point for digital exploration. By raising the program off the ground level a public space is created under the building that offers access round the clock, offering space for events even when the museum is closed.

A structural lattice provides ample interior spaces while creating a process that significantly simplifiesconstruction. A plastic ‘bladder’ is inflated inside the structural lattice, then a layer of Concrete Canvass is laid on top, sprayed with water, and sets on the outside of the lattice.

As for the interior, I wanted to create a sense of corporeality. To accomplish this I have taken the top lines of the interior of the shell and pulled them out in a manner that creates a landscape that must be negotiated in three dimensions. The interior walls would be constructed out of stacked glass, creating translucent divisions of the rooms.