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London.Museums 1.

Autumn.2015

BRITISH MUSEUM vs TATE MODERN

Cities are in constant evolution, in constant change; the new and the old co-exist in a constant flux of activity. Within this dynamic state some buildings stand out and form the character of their neighbourhood and the city. These icons define points of stability within the animated city context.

It is interesting to see that these icons are historical or contemporary entities whilst others become hybrid expressions between the old and the new. Physical and/or programmatic transformations challenge the initial frame to adopt new and different qualities and enrich the dialogue with the fast evolving city. For the first exercise we will look at two well-known sites, The British Museum and The Tate Modern to study the very different hybrid expressions of these main cultural destinations.

The architectural scale was explored in detail while also looking at its adjacent city fabric to understand how the city relates to these main destinations. Students have formulate their studies through reading/mapping of the physical and experiential; tangible and intangible qualities. By using drawing techniques students extracted the essential to discover what makes these buildings iconic.

The aspects explored dealt with tangible and intangible attributes, listed below, so that the unseen essence is unveiled:

1. Infrastructure and Network
2. Activity and Time
3. Circulation and Flow
4. Pattern Verticality vs Horizontality
5. Scale Verticality vs Horizontality