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Racine Art Museum
Racine, Wis.
Brininstool + Lynch
This museum's design cleverly permits
and omits light as needed
© Chris Barrett / Hedrich
Blessing |
For more photos click on 'photos
& drawings' above.
To see the people and products
behind this project click on 'people & products.'
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The project is a complete renovation
of a composite of several buildings and structures, some of
which date back to the Civil War era. A main objective was
the control and manipulation of light. The facade is wrapped
with translucent acrylic panels that are separated from the
exterior surface, allowing natural light to subtly illuminate
the facade during the day. Lighting at the top of the facade
causes the building to glow in the evening. The iridescence
of the acrylic panels by day and their lantern-like glow by
night parallel the qualities of light and movement in the
museum. Transparency, translucency, and opacity are used not
arbitrarily, but toward the creation of an optimal environment
for viewing art.
The screens that fit within the steel
frame at the front entry accentuate the transparency of the
ground floor, where views to the interior and displays can
be seen from the surrounding streets. Once in the museum,
visitors enter a two-story atrium that terminates at a glass
curtain wall separating a large outdoor courtyard from the
first floor gallery spaces. This atrium allows an influx of
natural light with a view to Lake Michigan. A grand stairway
leads visitors to the second floor and to the largest of the
exhibition galleries, which are two stories in height.
The interior architecture is enhanced
by millwork volumes that incorporate art and video displays,
shelving, workstations in the library and offices, and exhibition
furniture. Made of metal and reconstituted veneers, the housings
provide visual warmth in an environmentally appropriate way.
Formal name of Project:
Racine Art Museum
Location:
Racine, Wis.
Gross square
footage:
46,326 sq.ft.
Total construction
cost:
$6.2 million
Owner:
Racine Art Museum Association
Architect:
Brininstool + Lynch, Ltd.
230 West Superior Street
3rd Floor
Chicago, IL
T 312.640.0505
F 312.640.0217
www.brininstool-lynch.com
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