About
Conceived as an extension to the existing
Rijkshogeschool, The Maastricht Academy of Art & Architecture provides new spaces for
the school of visual arts and architectural design. The building is an incision
into the body of the city, an entirely new and foreign organism invading its
urban context; a process akin to the operation of a virus. Yet it...
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Conceived as an extension to the existing
Rijkshogeschool, The Maastricht Academy of Art & Architecture provides new spaces for
the school of visual arts and architectural design. The building is an incision
into the body of the city, an entirely new and foreign organism invading its
urban context; a process akin to the operation of a virus. Yet it is set in a
discreet, almost camouflaged relation to the city, providing an enclosed public
space that achieves an intimate and secluded condition from the main areas of
urban activity.
The project includes the renewal of the existing
Academy for the Arts, together with the extension affected by two buildings.
Adjacent to the old building is the new structure that contains the auditorium,
the library, an exhibition room, a bar and a roof garden. The connecting
footbridge with translucent glass brick floor and ceiling leads one through the
treetops into the workshop building that accommodates wood and steel workshops.
To follow Kenneth Frampton’s interpretation, this
element recalls the design of the Dessau Bauhaus, spanning between the two
volumes of the workshop and the four-storey public core.
To encourage a continuous dialogue, the design
dwelt more on creating an environment that would be conducive to social
interaction among the users of the building. This is affected through the
circulation system, which dominates the plan. There is only one entrance to the
entire complex, and only one ramp leading into the newly constructed
auditorium, library, and bar. The aerial bridge through the treetops is also
the only linkage to the other part of the extension. The adjoining patio is designed as a sculpture garden. Both
students and professors are made to walk along the same route through the
different faculties: Architecture, Fashion, Painting and Sculpture. The entire
complex becomes an environment for continuous communication between students
and professors. collapse
| Client |
Maastricht Academy of Art & Architecture |
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