Access
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright (1959)
Centre Pompidou in Paris Architects: Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers (1977)
Inner spiral
External vertical access
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Externally, the ground floor serves as the access area and internally as the distribution level. The base is surmounted by the museum which is separated by its various functions. Each area is accessed separately. In the part devoted to the exhibition, lifts first lead to the uppermost floor. A spiral ramp marks the way back; located along it are display cabinets which are arranged like the segments of an orange. It is impossible to leave the exhibition without – at least indirectly – strolling past each individual exhibit.
Centre Pompidou, Paris The partially excavated souterrain serves on the inside and on the outside as an assembly point for art enthusiasts. Every vertical access is located in the building envelope. The primary route leads across an escalator in the opposite direction. Its Plexiglas® tube extends across the full broadside of the façade, right up to the vantage point on the roof. All floors have an open floor plan with variable walls. The stairwells are one-way and only lead out from the exhibition areas.
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Design Parameters for Museum Buildings