Silkeborg Museum by John Utzon

http://www.arcspace.com/architects/utzon/silkeborg.htm

“The world of the curved form can give something that cannot ever be achieved by means of rectangular architecture. The hulls of ships, caves and sculpture demonstrate this.”Jørn Utzon

Utzon rejected Jorn’s idea of rising the building to capture a view, instead he proposed burying most of the extension three stories underground.As in his own house in Hellebæk, the approach would face a long, single-storey blank wall, which links the building to the main museum and breaks to form a staff entrance.The foyer, reception, cafe and terrace look out over the existing lawn through a stepped and staggered glass screen, made of V-shaped pre-cast concrete columns which support a grid of shallow, barrel-vaulted rooflights; these run over all the ground floor circulation areas and extend to form a generous entrance canopy.

“It will be with a sense of surprise and a desire to penetrate down into the building that the visitor for the first time sees the three-storey building open beneath him. Unconcerned - by stairs and corridors, which normally disturb - the viewer will glide almost effortlessly down into the museum via the ramp, taking him through the space.Strict geometry will form the basis for a simple constructional shape. The vible curved external surfaces are to be clad with ceramics in strong colors so that the parts of the building emerge like shining ceramic sculptures, and inside the museum will be kept white.” Jørn Utzon


Source:UTZONInspiration - Vision - ArchitectureBy: Richard WestonPublished by Edition Bløndal