Theatrical Revival

Archive Extension for Penn Museum

Penn Museum | Philadelphia, USA Fall 2018 Project Type: Academic Work, PennDesign Critic: Cory Henry Individual Work

The function of museum starts to lose its specificity as it comes towards the electronic age - 21st century. Museums used to be spaces to showcase the gatherings of valuables, but as technology advances, the information of artifacts now exists online. What should museums in the 21st century be like?

Museums of the new age should be well-connected to local community - they are to provide functions that the locals need. My proposed museum extension is a multi-functional building that incorporates theaters - the entertainment that West Philadelphia lacks.Theater is the main theme of the building, and the design revolves around theatrical experiences of visitors by playing with transparency, perception, and perspectives. Boundaries are blurred and light shed through seams. By changing lighting, angles of walls, and the opacity of partition, the museum becomes an ever-changing wonderland that invites residents of Philadelphia into Penn Museum.

01.Choisy Axon

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Penn Museum’s annual report shows that people tend to visit museums online instead of visiting museums in person. Virtual views are 88% comparing to the 12% physical visits. Similar analysis were done to several big museums in Philadelphia.

FORM DEVELOPMENT

Mapping studies of Philadelphia museums draw out the form of ground plan. The project portraits a piece of jewelry standing alone in d. Precedent studies includes I.M.Pei’s Pyramid in Louvre and Jean Nouvel’s Expo.02. The oddity draws and invites visitors in. Solar studies were done to maximize the theatrial experience inside by creating apertures.

MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT

Rough stone texture is the main material to portrait the “rock in a garden” image. The walls are embedded with polarizers, where the visitor movement can trigger and change the opacity of walls, revealing the artifact exhibitions inside wall pockets/blur the boundary between exterior and interior.

04. Exterior Render

06. Interior Render

EDUCATIONAL THEATERS

Visitors no longer come to Penn Museum merely for viewing the artifacts and galleries. The action of appreciating cultural and historical meanings of artifacts occurs naturally when visitors are on the way to enjoy movies. On another side, the theaters incorporated in the museum extension can showcase educational videos, as well as popular cinema films. A combination of functions is the way to revive Penn Museum.

Visitors no longer come to Penn Museum merely for viewing the artifacts and galleries. The action of appreciating cultural and historical meanings of artifacts occurs naturally when visitors are on the way to enjoy movies. On another side, the theaters incorporated in the museum extension can showcase educational videos, as well as popular cinema films. A combination of functions is the way to revive Penn Museum.