Daniel Libeskind is a Polish American architect, artist, professor and set designer. The architecture I am exploring in this essay was designed by Libeskind. The Imperial War Museum is a reference of a shattered globe. “Housed in an iconic aluminium clad building, representing a shattered globe by conflict.” The IMWN was the first museum in the UK to be designed by an international architect. The purpose of the building is to show the conflicts between Britain and the commonwealth have been involved in since the First World War to the current day through a timeline of objects that have witnessed the historic events. When I visited the Museum, it looks like a serious museum and dull and quite harsh it didn’t look fun or happy. The way it’s designed will affect the experience and how you see the exhibitions. The Royal Ontario Museum focuses on showcasing art, world culture and the natural history in Toronto, Canada. “Libeskind has also managed to bring a sense of urbanity to the interior of the Crystal, which reads like a series of spaces joined by walkways, bridges, vantage points and windows. This states that architecture doesn’t just look pretty it can really have a purpose. I am going to explore the thought process behind the designs of the following buildings The Royal Ontario Museum and the Imperial War Museum. I am also going to explore the concept and the purpose of the buildings and how pretty architect is pleasing in the world. Also discuss the design and the thought process behind it.
Imperial War Museum by Daniel Libeskind
The architecture has been arranged by the Salford Quays docks. It is keeping with in its content as its not taking away the purpose of the building and subtly attracts the public to go in, so it doesn’t distract people too much. The building has a lot of roundness to it there isn’t really any straight lines it’s been carefully structured to have a round sort of effect. The does also have its use of contrasts in areas as there are 3 different sections and parts to the building, and it is also harmonious as a whole as its aesthetically pleasing. The colour scheme is all grey as the building is made out of aluminium. It is all one dark colour but goes lighter in the sun and it also looks pleasing to the eye. This gun metal colour dominates and gives the building the right effect. There is no overall main shape, there is lots of curves and bends and the building almost looks like it’s in separate pieces with how its laid out. There is reoccurring or similar shapes and lines going on. The work holds together has an overall entity and is pleasing to look at which is what attracts people to it and to go into the museum. “The Imperial War Museum North (IWMN) in Manchester, England, tells the story of how war has affected the lives of British and the Commonwealth citizens since 1914.”
The imperial war museum is an architectural building creating by Daniel Libeskind. He originally thought of and came up with the shape by dropping a teapot on the floor and he had a look at the broken pieces and put them together and this is the building that came out of it. The teapot is a metaphor for the shattered globe. The building has a lot of curvy, so it looks smooth and then it has this larger tower at the top. The purpose of the building is to serve its purpose as a museum for war and for people to visit it and its meant to give a sombering experience and enjoy their visit. This IWM is a communication for the social this is because it’s trying to come across as eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing. It’s also trying to communicate that buildings don’t just have to be plain and boring but more pleasing not too many buildings like this. This is because if there were to be too many buildings like this it wouldn’t be as exciting. The meaning of this building isn’t apparent to the eye it is only visible when you’re at the entrance of the building. Therefore, the aspects of this building are hidden and is all on the inside. “The design concept is a globe shattered into fragments and then reassembled. The interlocking of three of these fragments—representing earth, air, and water—comprise the building’s form.”
The IWM is made of Aluminium Metal and was carefully structured to Daniels sketched perfectly. The elements inside the architecture is this sloping floor giving the museum a different meaning and vibe while visiting and the tower at the top is exposed to the outside/elements. Also, the lights are dim lit making it gloomy and unsettling this overall makes the visitors contemplate the atrocities of war and how bad things were. Libeskind may have used supporting studies to help him complete the building. For example, he would have researched what was popular around that time and he would have also done some sketches to see what he likes before and after breaking the teapot just. To see what he likes. I think this work was executed slowly because to get the right aesthetic and public attraction to it the process would take a while and would have needed a lot of thought to go into it as by looking at it its nota simple building it look quite complex. To complete this architectural building, I think the artist would need a lot of patience, creativity, drawing skills to make the sketches also a really good knowledge of the architecture industry. “The Earth Shard forms the museum space, signifying the open, earthly realm of conflict and war; the Air Shard serves as a dramatic entry into the museum, with its projected images, observatories and education spaces; and the Water Shard forms the platform for viewing the canal, complete with a restaurant, cafe, deck and performance space.”
The building gives me a sense of calm. I feel like this is due to the building being about atrocities the reason why I say it makes me feel happy is because I feel like the people of that time, I am getting their story heard and people are getting justice and peace. It also makes me happy because people are being educated on the atrocities. It captures a calm mood. The building reminds me a wave in a way because of all the curves which gives the atmosphere of calm as the sea is very relaxing. This relates with capturing a mood/feeling linked to nature with the sea. The building Is quiet there’s not a lot going on so it’s not noisy, but it is strikingly different to any other building I’ve seen before. The building is also soothing as there is no pointy edges so its smooth and relaxing in its mood. The shape of building is what shapes and changes my mood.
The work was designed by Daniel Libeskind and it was made in Salford Quays in Manchester and it was created in 5th July 2002. The events going on at this time were on February 8th it was The Winter Olympics that started and were held in Salt Lake City. The I-40 bridge disaster on May 26th and on November the 25thThe Department of Homeland Security is established. In 2002 many more events beyond these occurred. The Imperial war museum is linked to a historical purpose as the main purpose of the building part from looking aesthetically pleasing is that its function is a museum of war and people pay to go in a visit it. It shows the history of war. The building was made for the function of being a war museum for the public to visit. We know this because it is a public building and because of that we can identify that it was made for the public. Daniel Libeskind has many other buildings that his designed for example The Royal Ontario building and the One world trade centre. The thing that all his buildings have in common is that they are all strikingly different. Then what’s different is that they are all different shapes if its taller skinnier or have different shapes involved as the royal Ontario building has a lot of triangles involved in it and a lot of sharp point and edges.
Royal Ontario Museum by Daniel Libeskind
The building has been arranged and created in different shapes the building looks like it has different shapes from different angles. From one angle it looks like sharp pointy triangles or pyramids then from another angle I can see a squares and triangles. Its very fascinating. The colour scheme on this building is neutral colours it’s a white -creamy colour with glass embroided in it but the square and triangular shapes are attached to a yellow-brown brick building. In the dark the colour of the cars and the lights on the street reflect in the glass giving of a blue colour or a bit of red. The building is quite vivid only in the sense because its abstract. The main overall shape is triangular sharp-pointy shapes which reoccur. The architecture overall is aesthetically pleasing as one entity. “The Crystal presented a unique challenge to build and was among the most complicated construction projects in North America. There are no right angles and only one vertical wall in the structure—the five crystals are designed as interlocking self-supported structures. The design teams and general contractors developed innovative strategies with existing technologies to regularize construction and reduce costs.” Quoted from Libeskind.
The meaning of the building is a museum of art, world culture of natural history in Toronto. Therefore, giving it, a matter of importance and it is a vehicle of communication to the social because it is showing artwork and natural history to the public. Therefore, it is letting these artists have a voice and show what they want to show or even say through the artwork. The building was built from direct observation as Libeskind would have done a sketch/drawing and made it into blueprints and that’s what the builders would have gone off. The content of this building is not immediately visible. The content is only visible when you step inside, but this creative architecture is what draws people inside its intriguing. “The extension to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), now named the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is situated at one of the most prominent intersections in downtown Toronto. It is the largest Museum in Canada and attracts more than a million visitors a year.” Quoted by Daniel Libeskind.
The buildings design is fascination and quoted by Libeskind “Libeskind created a structure of organically interlocking prismatic forms turning this important corner of Toronto, and the entire museum complex, into a luminous beacon.” The building is made up out of five intersecting metal clad volumes which are also reminiscent of crystals. The building was inspired by the crystalline forms in the ROM’s Mineralogy galleries. Libeskind chose the structure because he wanted to turn something important into a “luminous beacon.” Firstly, I think Libeskind would have got inspired by the ROM’s Mineralogy then started to make sketches and kept on sketching till he thought this was the perfect outcome and he made that sketch into a reality by gathering materials that go well together and would be sustainable. I think the building would have took a long time to complete as it is very complex and not something simple and easy to construct. Libeskind would have had to have great drawing skills, excellent creativity skills and an outstanding knowledge about use of space and architecture.
The work makes me feel pleasant and happy. It captures a calm mood. I think this is because its soothing and pleasing to look at it stands out from a mile away. It’s hard not to inspect and look at it. The building sort of reminds me of shards of glass with the points and triangular shapes. The building is noisy because there is a lot going on, but it is still soothing but can be disturbing with the sharp points. Libeskind may have been feeling very mixed emotions at the time as the building gives of mixed emotions as that is the way I’m feeling. He may had been feeling happy and sad or relaxed and stressed.
Daniel Libeskind created this work. It was built in Toronto, Canada and was made in 2007. The building is 182,000 sq. Ft / 17,280 sqm. I know this information as it is stated on Daniel Libeskind’s website. This work relates to some aspects of fashion and this is because most of the time fashion nis based of the things around us including architecture. Events going on at the same time was Apple released the first iPhone, Amazon released the Kindle and Brown succeeds Blaire as priminister in England etc. Overall 2007 was a big year for technology. The building is linked to history as the museum is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto giving it a historical purpose. The work was made for the public as you can visit the museum in person and go inside. Artwork which is similar is Libeskind’s other architectural pieces for example the imperial war museum, the Zlota 44 and the Libeskind tower. What they all have in common is that they were all created by the same man, but they are all in different parts of the world. They are all different there’s nothing the same about them that’s what they have in common. They are different, some are taller some are smaller or wider some look or complex some are simpler. For example, the Imperial war museum has lots of bends and curves to it.
Daniel Libeskind stated
“I take any that seem interesting. I also have to look in the client’s eyes and think, “This is a person I want to work with.” Other than that, I have no rules. If somebody comes in and says, “Can you build a shack for $10?” I might take that just as easily as a grandiose project in the centre of Paris. Because I come from a working-class background, I never thought architecture should be about how much money you have.”
After researching the Iso in the WMN I have come to the conclusion that form and function are both really important and that in good architecture form follows function in a coherent way. I feel like it is important that the museum reflects the ideas about war because it was an important time history and people’s stories need to be out there and read about. Also, it enhances the visit to the building as it fits its purpose and as a visitor it makes you think more carefully about the contents. The examples to support this are the ones I analysed. In my opinion it’s the architecture that attracts more people inside the museums. “With this extension the museum gained 100,000 square feet of new exhibition space, a new entrance and lobby, a street level retail shop, and three new restaurants.” This is stating that the beautiful architect extension on the Royal Ontario museum has multiple purposes and isn’t just pointless. I have also concluded that you can turn a boring old building into something exciting with some abstract architecture.
Bibliography
https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north/about
https://libeskind.com/work/imperial-war-museum-north/
https://www.arch2o.com/imperial-war-museum-north-studio-daniel-libeskind/
https://libeskind.com/work/royal-ontario-museum/
https://www.dezeen.com/2007/05/14/daniel-libeskind-at-royal-ontario-musem/
https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/rom-crystal-10-years-later/
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/archive/imperial-war-museum-north-studio-daniel-libeskind