Introduction pg. 2
Historical background of the Ulster Museum pg. 2
Context pg. 4
Description of spaces pg. 5
The Potential step forward pg. 5
Conclusion pg. 6
Bibliography pg. 7
Books pg. 7
Journals pg. 7
Internet pg. 7
Introduction
This museum has been in transition at pivotal points of its historical time line thus far. It begs the question though, does it work as an architectural treasure of Northern Ireland or is it a reaction to turbulent periods in Belfast’s history. Within this critique it is hoped that it can be proven that this museum has gone from a prestigious neoclassical style building standing alone on the southern edge of the botanic garden, to an embracing contextural architectural element that is trying to make a correlation with is surroundings. It’s this embrace of the public however with the recently new redevelopment has taken the true architectural meaning and integrity of Wynnes neoclassical block that integrates with Pym’s brutalist modern style.
The new addition of glazing to the gallery and café spaces designed by Hamilton architects has marred the beauty of this integration is slowly striping away from its concrete block. The ulster museum is considered as one of the best examples of two styles fusing together as one architectural expression. The ulster museum is at another pivotal point where it has to make a decision to place capital gains over the true architectural integrity brutalist forms paired with neoclassical style.
Historical background of the Ulster Museum
The First Age
Originally the Ulster Museum was founded as the Belfast Natural History Society ...
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...P, “The Ulster Museum: An Appreciation”, Perspective, Vol. 16, Issue no. 4, July/Aug 2007, pg.30
Ancell, H., “Final bid to halt Ulster Museum extension plan”, Building Design, Issue no. 1784, Aug 2007, pg. 6
Dorrell, E., “Refurb row at Modern Museum”, Architects Journal, Vol. 225, Issue no. 6, Feb 2007, pg. 14
McGarry, M., “Ulster Museum 2009, Perspective, Volume 19, Issue no.1, Jan/Feb 2010,pg. 30-35
Internet
Ulster Museum, http://wikipedia.org, site visited 25th April 10.04 am
http://archiseek.com/2007/francis-pym-ulster-museum-belfast/
http://www.hamiltonarchitects.co.uk/news/19-2010/70-ulster-museum-wins-art-fund-prize
http://www.fobbg.co.uk/history2.html
http://www.fobbg.co.uk/palmhouse.html
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/,"The Crystal Palace of Hyde Park". Retrieved 26th April 2014.
http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/community/cemeteries/friarsbush.aspx
In this context, the opening of the Ulster Folk Museum, located in Cultra in County Down, Northern Ireland (and now linked to the Ulster Transport Museum), in 1964, might theoretically be seen as a strategy in the ongoing attempted maintenance of unionist hegemony and social control in Northern Ireland. This might especially be assumed in that the early 1960s were a time when pressure for reform in Northern Ireland was increasing, and when the governing unionist coalition was fracturing, partly under the strains of early deindustrialisation.[8] Such a tourist site might also be seen as a propagandistic effort to appeal for political support (or reduced political opposition) from those with ancestral links to Ulster and its “traditions” in the wider diaspora. There are however manifold reasons for thinking that it may be rather too tempting to exaggerate the political intentions behind the formation of such a museum at such a time. Foucauldian notions of the exertion of knowledge-power over the human body have been rightly criticized (even when applied to more favourable contexts) in that they fail properly to address complicated questions of agency and the issue of in whose interest any given strategy was exerted.
Findling, John E., Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions, 1851-1988 New York: Greenwood Press, 1990 Komendant, August, "Post-Modern on Habitat", Progressive Architecture 1968 March vol.49, p.138-147
...ch allows the person to enter the glass atrium connecting all of the wings of the building, which was added in 2012. Breuer was honored with the commission after he had shown his design abilities in other aspects throughout the city. The museum expansion was just one of the few of Breuer’s designs that still stand today. Breuer’s work in both furniture design and architecture has been around for many years, and will continue to be around for many more to come.
Carden, Robert W. "The Franco-British Exhibition." Architectural Review 1908 July, v. 24, p. [32]-37 ; 1908 Sept., p. [108]-111
...nal Expansion Memorial. Inside the building museum exhibits can be found. It now currently is being preserved by them to remind everyone of a fine example of nineteenth-century architecture. (“Old Courthouse Architecture”)
Cothren, M. & Marilyn Stokstad. (2011). Art History, Volume 2, 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Learning Solutions.
It is the new decade after the end of world war two and modernism is a well-established practice. Its pioneers and spearheads are prevalent figures looming over the new architects and designers who are trying to make their mark in the shadows of such historically influential people. With new technologies and materials emerging from the world wars the next era of modernism had started to evolved, bringing with it philosophies and ideas which seemed far removed from those of the pioneers of modernism “What emerged in the late 1940s and 1950s was an expanding synthesis of questions utterly removed from the confident statements of the pioneers.”(Spade 1971,10) Two significant buildings were designed in the 50's, both of them for educational institutes and to house students of architecture, there were both designed in completely different styles and methods. The first is Ludwig Mies van der Rohes' Crown Hall, finished in 1956 and designed as a part of a campus master plan for the Illinois Institute of technology in Chicago. Mies' design for Crown Hall is one of his most realised expressio...
Baxandall specified his discussion about the problem by supposing that the displays of the gallery were permanent and conservative, which means that the main artifact served for inspection laid in the center of the galley around with additional elements. He also assumed that the viewers were educational members of a developed society, who both enjoyed the expected interesting object view and the functional purpose of the artifacts. After illustrating the assumption, he raised up the main question that different viewers with different cultural background may have different ideas about the artifact. This complicating position was not only the result from the viewers, but also from the object itself and the arrangers of the exhibition. The assumption is strong and will be discussed later.
middle of paper ... ... Bolton, Arthur T. The architecture of Robert & James Adam. London, Country Life. 1922.
Heinz, Thomas A., Frank Lloyd Wright: Architectural Monographs No 18, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1992.
With the Pantheon being built over 1700 years ago, it’s amazing that architects are still using features and techniques from this work of architecture in modern creations. The use of this type of classical architecture will continue to be used in works for public space due to its remarkable exterior appearance and it’s long lasting structural durability. When both Jesse hall and the Pantheon are compared it is possible to see their similarities from the types of domes that top each, their external facades, and their interior plan. While they share many similarities, the differences that Bell and Binder used in their creation make this work of architecture unique to many other public spaces.
The “superstar” museum gained this status by considering every important detail during its establishment and initial phases of conversion from royal palace to museum (Gombault, 2002). As the purpose of the building changed, each room addressed new functions with new requirements. Although the function of the Louvre is different from the building’s original intention, the building is still appears dignified and important enough to display priceless artifacts and painting (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). This consideration was applied in designing the Met. The Met looked towards the South Kensington Museum (Victoria and Albert) and the “ideal role model” due to its extensive collections and international reputation (Heckscher, 1995). The Met found itself in a similar situation to the South Kensington, because it did not have a building or a collection to start with (Heckscher, 1995). When designing museums, architects strived to create monuments that “prepare and educate the mind of the visitor (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998).” Education is an essential function of a museum. Acquiring, preserving, and properly displaying materials, permits a museum to fulfill this duty (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). For instance, lighting is a factor that affects the manner in which artwork is viewed and can be properly appreciated. When determining the proper lighting for the Louvre, Comte d’Angiviller, strongly believed that natural, overhead lighting was the most effective solution (McClellan, 1994, p. 72). The same determination impacted the decision to add skylights at the Met. During the initial phase, architects Vaux and Mould, added skylights to the upper floor, and windows to the lower floor that provided a natural light solution (Heckscher, 1995). Additionally, glass-roofed courtyards provided “unimpeded light” for displaying
The essence of modern architecture lays in a remarkable strives to reconcile the core principles of architectural design with rapid technological advancement and the modernization of society. However, it took “the form of numerous movements, schools of design, and architectural styles, some in tension with one another, and often equally defying such classification, to establish modernism as a distinctive architectural movement” (Robinson and Foell). Although, the narrower concept of modernism in architecture is broadly characterized by simplification of form and subtraction of ornament from the structure and theme of the building, meaning that the result of design should derive directly from its purpose; the visual expression of the structure, particularly the visual importance of the horizontal and vertical lines typical for the International Style modernism, the use of industrially-produced materials and adaptation of the machine aesthetic, as well as the truth to materials concept, meaning that the true nat...
The German Pavilion, more commonly known as the Barcelona Pavilion, is one of the most recognizable buildings of the modern period during the early 20th century. It encapsulates every element of modern architecture in one structure. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the fathers of modern architecture, was the architect of this beautiful building. In this essay I will explore how Mies impacted the modern movement in architecture through his groundbreaking ideas using the Barcelona Pavilion as a case study.
‘Savage Beauty’ was an exhibition that pushed the boundaries of museology, in its artistic, social and critical undertakings. The questions brought to bear by the exhibition of contemporary art and culture in various situations is something I am interested in researching further with a degree in curating.