Getty Center, Los Angeles
When I visited this space, I felt as though I was being transported to a different, calmer, more peaceful and quiet world. The first step is to take a scenic shuttle train to the actual museum from the parking, physically transporting you somewhere that you cannot simply drive up to. The actual structure is entirely white, which works well to not compete with the art being exhibited inside. On the exterior, it allows attention to focus on the gardens and greenery surrounding the building, a key feature of the site. The white color also takes advantage of the abundant sunlight on the site, reflecting natural light throughout the interior. There is a mix of glazed and solid walls and ceilings, efficiently allowing light to fill the interior spaces while also blocking light for rooms and exhibit areas that require it, and not placing too high a load on the cooling systems. There was nice flow throughout the buildings, and I liked how there was a reflective space outside, so you could take a break between exhibits. The natural stone finish on some of the buildings also gave a warmer feel, balancing out the harsher solid white that other buildings had.
Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece
I really enjoyed how this museum architecturally mimicked the shape of the buildings on the Acropolis. One of the main exhibits is the Parthenon Gallery, which displays a restored version of the entire Parthenon frieze. They shaped the building’s top floor, which houses the Parthenon Gallery, in a rectangular shape with an open center. The panels of the frieze are hung around this central opening, and visitors can walk around the rectangular shape as you would if the panels were actually on the Parthenon. The building also has nice flow between the floors. Each floor has a different theme or exhibit. At the top, the Parthenon Gallery. This is the most significant gallery in the museum, and it’s location brings natural light and a separation that feels appropriate given it’s importance in the museum. In the middle, there is an assortment of statues and sculptures. This introduces you to the museum, and provides a transition zone at the entry level. At the basement, the building hovers over actual ruins from the ancient neighborhood that was uncovered in the excavation at the start of construction for the museum. This presents an entirely different kind of exhibit, going outside and under the building to show you ruins in their original location, contrasting the art above, which was brought inside away from it’s original home.
