Moss Arts Center Niki Kreynus
Seeing, Understanding + Representing Landscapes and the Built Environment
Moss Arts Center, located at the corner of North Main Street and Alumni Mall is pronounced from any approach. The glass, southwest facing facade creates a light, hollow characteristic that compliments the surrounding green landscape.
Collaging with a series of photos from each weekly visit allowed a visual representation of lighting effects based on the varying times of day and year as well as seasonal changes of vegetation. A d d i t i o n a l l y , photos taken at multiple perspectives and scales meshed together offer a creative and exploitative opportunity of the building and site.
Color swatches with complimenting photos taken from the site create an aesthetic value and a realistic visual of how the varying colors of natural vegetation react to, and with, man made materials.
aluminum + glass
glass + concrete
concrete + grass
Photographing in the morning sunrise offers breathtaking light and shadow moments. A white building interior creates flexibility in how it reacts to light and color and adopts the surrounding conditions. Tall golden grasses that span over the varying elevations of the front landscape create an environment that feels detached from the surrounding Blacksburg area. Tall trees planted in front of the building create unique shadows combined with the non load bearing aluminum framing.
Throughout the landscape and building, a series of terracing is incorporated. Pictured on the left, the sidewalks that approach the main entrance of Moss Arts have a variation of protrusions at 90 degree angles that extend beyond the main walkable path at varying lengths. The seating holds a similar rule. Two types of seating are offered in front of the building creating a plaza space. Tiered benches are made of stone complimenting of the side walks color and the landscapes natural vegetation and layout. An organic quality is created with this type of seating and the change in elevation accomodates a variety of people through their size and also intended purpose of usage (i.e. a podium or lower seating for a short person such as a child). Aluminum chairs are also placed on site but closer to the buildings. They are accompanied by tables offering a place to eat, study or draw. The matching metal allows the chairs to fit in with the site and matches the lightness in weight compared to the massive, skeletal curtain wall that sits directly behind the chairs.
A watercolor experimentation highlights the richness in blues the glass windows give when reflecting with the sky. In reality, a watercolor effect is created though this reflection and enhances a contrast in the colors of the building to the colors of the front lawn.
A Sycamore tree planted in front of Moss Arts Center changed throughout the fall season. Its color transitioned from a deep green to a bright yellow during the fall transition and leaves began to fall shortly after.