Tadao AndoModern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Modelled by Ursula Adams and Julie CookArchiCAD 9

Tadao Ando’s Modern Art Museum, Fortworth is an extremely elegant building that plays on many of Ando’s favourite themes of transparency and blurring of boundaries. The building appears to hover as it sits against a reflective pool. Ando explains that he imagined the museum as a swan floating on water. This idea is played on as the floor of the museum sits flush to the water outside the glazed facades which enhances a feeling of continuity.

The building is constructed of five long bays which are supposed to give reference to the Kimball Museum not far away. Each of these bays are built of a glass exterior wall with a secondary boundary of internal walls. The glass enclosure is named “Engawa“. Ando explains that the “Engawa" in Japanese architecture is the space between the inside and the outside. Thus by this, boundaries between the outside and inside are reduced, if not eliminated.

In modelling this building a theme of this transparency and blurring of boundaries between interior and exterior is being focused on. The building has been divided, with Julie modelling the three shorter exhibition bays over looking the reflection pool. Ursula has modelled the entrance and foyer space.

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Embedded Interactive Model

Entrance Sectional Cut Away This section is showing a cut through the entrance foyer and looking out towards the pool.

It shows the extremely tall double height space. That provides a overwhelming evenly light

filled area. This is especially true as there is light which comes in from the above clerestories

and then reflected light from the shallow pool outside through the twelve meter tall glazed

façade.

Foyer towards reflection pool and restaurant in background

View across from the exhibition bays to rotunda restaurant

Main entrance

Outside view looking onto the entrance foyer

Twelve metre tall atrium entrance

Looking down from the second level across the bridged walkway

Entrance approach

Entrance showing qualities of transparency and the layer of spaces of inside and out

Exhibit Bay Sectional Cutaway

This section shows the different use of form in the three major exhibition bays. It reveals the change from open, brightly lite spaces to darker ones for exhibitions. The spaces then move to a long transitional area of the staircase to the second floor. These spaces all contribute to the theme of blurring boundaries between the interior and the exterior through alteration of light exhibiting differences in form and space. The ‘fins’ and glazing of the main façade create the minimum barrier between in and out and utilise the sun as a timing mechanism from shadow movement on surrounding surfaces. The reflections from the shallow pool outside adds to this sense of change and produce differing reflections of light and shape throughout spaces.

Staircase Sectional Cutaway:

This section of the building shows an important element of the staircase- a transition area from first to second floor. It is an element that contributes to the blurring of spaces. It creates a journey which inhabits a space lit only from one side. The ‘fins’ in this space throw differing light on the staircase emulating a sense of movement between boundaries of floors. It also produces a narrower environment from the rest of the building which emphasises the light introduced into it and resulting reflections. It is a space that on the journey down ends with a view with a minimum barrier between in and out and contributes to Tadao;s main themes of transparency and burring.

Across the pool to the exhibition bay facades

Across the pool to the bay containing the long staircase

A view back across the pool to the exhibition areas- a sense of floating

The first bay from the foyer porch

From the second bay across to the café

From bay to bay- a sense of continuity and blurring of boundaries

From the middle bay framing across to the cafe

The base of the stairs to begin the journey

Half way up the stairs

From the top of the stairs leading to minimum barrier between in and out