andrea branzi and 2A+P/A propose maribor gallery in slovenia

‘art forest’ by italian firm 2A+P/A together with andrea branzi is a proposal for the competition to design the new maribor museum in slovenia. the project aims to experiment the possibilities of mixing the activities of the new museum with the city life. a forest of pillars invades the urban void, identifying a public space covered with a big transparent ceiling. the artificial wood covers the slightly tilted plane that connects koroška street with the drava river and configurates 10.000 sqm of public space as a big theatre arena.

‘art forest’ by italian firm 2A+P/A together with andrea branzi
all images courtesy 2A+P/A

on the same level all the public functions of the museum such as: the cafeteria, the bookshop, the restaurant, the information point and the accesses to the two green entrance halls. three stepped islands create the plane areas on the tilted plane. a few of the ‘pines’ have beenconceived as accessible to the public and usable as terraces or areas for events or free expositions. the functions of the new maribor art gallery are part under the slope of the square and part at different heights on the top of the trees that rise from the ground.

‘art forest’ model

the underground space is organized in functional areas, its implant comes from the organization of a city, functional zones related by a connective grid. an archeological section of a city submerged by the stratification of time. the fulcrum of the museum are the two great glass patios, joined by an underground corridor, that constitute the access point to the underground museum structure. they have been conceived as two big glass halls microclimatized with natural gardens inside.

from these two spaces you can access all the functions of the museum. from the north patio it is possible to enter the permanent gallery, the conference room, the children museum, the library and the archive, the administrative offices, the wardrobe area and the services; while from the south patio you can enter the creative industry centre, the architectural centre, the educational workshop, the underground parking and the services. each related activity has separated accesses to ensure the functioning independently from the opening of the museum.

a path connects the two microclimatized halls through a system of ramps, joining the different heights. the two gardens and the connection corridor are the more public spaces of the museum, a relational disposal that permits a free circulation through the various functions of the whole structure.

model

a second element of connection is the underground access street to the garage that with an entrance ramp leads to the west side of the square. this street ensures the admittance also to the loading and unloading area of the art pieces, a straight entrance to the deposits and the warehouses, and a direct link with the parking of the market on the east side.

the internal pedestrian path crosses the vehicular one, showing to the public the functioning of the museum machine. besides the two vertical greenhouses, two green patios permit the illumination of the underground spaces. a number of emergency ladders ensure the necessary escape ways from the underground spaces.

view from across the river

the manes of the forest have been conceived as devices for energy control and capitalization of renewable energies. some of the manes are supports for photovoltaic panels while other designed as funnels are the collector system of meteoric waters used for the irrigation of the green halls. some ‘pines’ are structured as chimneys for the natural ventilation of the underground areas while others constitute lightpipes for the daylighting. all the project aspires to create a naturally controlled microclimate. the choice itself of an underground space wants to take the most advantage from the more stable climate of the underground areas and taking favor from the huge thermal mass of the ground.

axonometric view