Industrial icon.The Kuppersmuhle, an industrial relic in Duisburg's harbour area, has been inventively transformed to house a major collection of German modern art. Even in today's greatly changed urban landscape, the Kuppersmuhle in Duisburg is still a striking city landmark. Built between 1908 and 1916 by the Kiefer Brothers and Joseph Weiss, the imposing brick warehouse has a strong monumental quality, reinforced by its heroic scale and robust materiality MATERIALITY. That which is important; that which is not merely of form but of substance. 2. When a bill for discovery has been filed, for example, the defendant must answer every material fact which is charged in the bill, and the test in these cases seems to . It is the most historically significant structure in Duisburg's inner harbour, an area currently being rejuvenated re·ju·ve·nate tr.v. re·ju·ve·nat·ed, re·ju·ve·nat·ing, re·ju·ve·nates 1. To restore to youthful vigor or appearance; make young again. 2. to a masterplan by Norman Foster. A key aspect of the masterplan strategy involves finding new uses for industrial antiquities such as the Kuppersmuhle. Herzog and de Meuron were asked to convert the Kuppersmuhle to house Hans Grothe's collection of postwar German art, an important assembly that includes works by Polke, Baselitz and Kiefer among others. The conversion of a redundant industrial building into a modern art museum has clear parallels with Herzog & de Meuron's project for the new Tate Gallery Tate Gallery, London, originally the National Gallery of British Art. The original building (in Millbank on the former site of Millbank Prison), with a collection of 65 modern British paintings, was given by Sir Henry Tate and was opened in 1897. in London, but there are also important differences. In the case of the Tate, only the external brick carapace carapace (kâr`əpās), shield, or shell covering, found over all or part of the anterior dorsal portion of an animal. In lobsters, shrimps, crayfish, and crabs, the carapace is the part of the exoskeleton that covers the head and thorax of Gilbert Scott's power station has been preserved, whereas most of the Kuppersmuhle's load-bearing structure could be fruitfully incorporated into the building's renovation (although some of the existing floors were removed to accommodate the larger 5m high galleries). Three floors of exhibition spaces are linked by a new stair tower, placed to the rear of the main warehouse block. The stark lines of the tower echo the Kuppersmuhle's muscular, industrial functionalism functionalism, in art and architecture functionalism, in art and architecture, an aesthetic doctrine developed in the early 20th cent. out of Louis Henry Sullivan's aphorism that form ever follows function. . Narrow strips of vertical glazing are crisply incised incised /in·cised/ (in-sizd´) cut; made by cutting. into the tower's terracotta coloured concrete flanks. Inside, a sinuous sinuous /sin·u·ous/ (sin´u-us) bending in and out; winding. sinuous bending in and out; winding. stair winds up to the galleries, creating a logical and leisurely promenade through the building. The warmth of the terracotta walls and the organic sensuousness of the stair give the confined space Confined space is a term from labor-safety regulations that refers to an area whose enclosed conditions and limited access make it dangerous. Description A confined space is any space: 1) that has limited or restricted means of entry or exit; 2) is large enough for a a remarkable womb-like quality. The proportions of the stair treads are intended to slow clown progress slightly, so that visitors proceed through the building at a pace conducive to the heightened contemplation of art. Galleries are calm and introspective in·tro·spect intr.v. in·tro·spect·ed, in·tro·spect·ing, in·tro·spects To engage in introspection. [Latin intr , with simple white walls and cool stone floors. Some daylight is admitted through a handful of carefully positioned glazed strips which supplement levels of predominantly artificial illumination. The narrow openings were tested on models and evolved from an earlier project for Swiss artist Remy Zaugg's studio in Mulhouse. Existing windows in the part of the warehouse housing the galleries have been sealed up using bricks of the same colour and texture of the original walls; these have been scrupulously cleaned and repaired. This muting of the facade heightens the building's monolithic, elemental character and gives the new elements (such as the long window slits and an exquisite, copper-clad door) a singular and surprising intensity. Herzog & de Meuron's strategy of intervention and renewal seeks to respect both the building and its contents. The Grothe Collection has a handsome new home with all the technical and cultural amenities of a modern art museum and the Kuppersmuhle has acquired a dynamic new lease of life. The revived building also makes a contribution to Duisburg's wider urban regeneration. As its industrial relics are gradually reclaimed for new uses, the heart of the city grows stronger. Architect Herzog & de Meuron, Basle, Switzerland Project team Jurgen Johner, Katsumi Darbellay, Lukas Kupfer, Mario Meier, Astrid Peissard, Simon Smaczny Structural engineers Ove Arup Sir Ove Nyquist Arup CBE, MICE, MIStructE, (born at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1895 and died in 1988) was a leading Anglo-Danish engineer, the founder of the internationally important firm of Arup and generally considered the foremost engineer of his time. & Partners Ingenieurburo Lewenton Werner Schwarz Mechanical and engineer Ingenieurgesellschaft Kruck Photographs Christian Richters |
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