BETWEEN IMAGINING AND REMEMBERING AN EXTENSION TO THE GOTHENBURG MUSEUM OF ART
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Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Model builders
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Abstract
Gothenburg Museum of Art is set to be extended
and remodelled, with an architectural competition
being held in 2023 to determine the design for
the project. This thesis aims to offer a deeper
reflection on the competition, and potentially
explore broader questions beyond what the
competition alone may address.
The site at Götaplatsen houses some of the most
prominent cultural institutions in the city and it
presents a fascinating history as the entrance
to the Gothenburg exhibition in 1923. Since its
inauguration the museum has been altered and
extended two times, in 1968 and 1996. During
the years there has also been several proposals
for how to extend the museum and modify
Götaplatsen. The thesis explores these layers, the
built, the planned, the unrealized, the alternate
proposals, the modified etc.
The main focus of the thesis explores how one
as a designer should relate to the multiplicity
of references which the postmodern condition
consists of. When adding or modifying buildings
in an urban context questions of what should be
preserved or restored and what parts of the story
should be told or re-imagined emerge.
The secondary focus of the thesis deals with how
certain core conflicts of the museum institution can
be resolved, such as that of protecting artworks
and at the same time making them available, or
that of simultaneously allowing for freedom of
movement as well as spaces for contemplation.
The process of designing began by investigating
the historical layers and the related discussions
surrounding the site, by for example examining
drawings at the regional archive.
After this initial phase the design task later
evolved into how both qualities from the original
ideas behind the building (from ARES winning
competition entry in 1918) as well as later
proposals (in particular professor Lars Ågrens
extension proposal) could be combined into a
coherent new design proposal and in a sense
"finishing" what was started. This proposed design
also meets and adapts to the buildings current
state and present-day requirements of the museum
institution.
Description
Keywords
Gothenburg Museum of Art, addition, cultural heritage