Blind Folding
The Ordrupgaard Extension by Zaha Hadid.
A giant black snail moving slowly across a park clearance might be the first association appearing when visitors are confronted with Zaha Hadid’s latest building, the extension of the Ordrupgaard Collection north of Copenhagen.
The museum addition opened in the autumn 2005 following the result of an invited competition among 7 architectural firms held in 2001. As the most striking difference from Zaha Hadid’s winning scheme compared to the built reality the museum has become somewhat shorter with the unloading facilities for temporary exhibitions moved to the rear façade - conveniently out of sight from of the main entrance on the western side of the addition.
All visitors arriving from the north will be met by a huge mound of earth almost covering the tail or rear end of the snail-like structure with a grass covered rampart in the lushly mature park. The new main entrance appears a little too discrete from the outside since it is resting in the dark and partly hidden by a tilted piece of blackish concrete as a measure to transform the inside to the exterior space.
It was lack of space and a less than ideal climate conditions in the adjacent historic house dating from 1918 that demanded the new extension that doubles the exhibition space allowing the excellent collection of French Impressionism Art to be displayed in its entity for the first time. The argument for an enlargement was widened to a claim for also adding a new gallery for temporary exhibitions next to the permanent one.
From the outside the organic almost Art Nouveaux-like forms of the Hadid addition are looking almost modest against its neighbouring villa since they appear lower and darker like an appendix not really competing with the architecture of its predecessor. And valued for its functionality the addition is interesting by being cut in two by the reception space dividing the permanent exhibition clearly from the temporary part.
Another remarkable measure is the use of glassed corridors along the outer borders of the protected exhibition spaces in the middle of the building, since following the corridors the visitor has an excellent view to the surrounding groves of trees. Focusing at the addition from the outside the glassed facades also provide a more pleasant impression by reflecting the surrounding greenery than the well protected cultural bunker of concrete itself.
Besides bearing the clear signature of their artistic Hadid origin the Iraqi-born architect always insists on her buildings to be site specific. By this notion she underscores that even if there will be some formal resemblance between different works of hers every building is given a specific relation to its surrounding landscape or neighbouring context of utterly importance. And by belonging so strongly to their site none of her buildings could be moved to another place without loosing its relevance, she claims.
In the Ordrupgaard addition the in-situ cast concrete folding provides an opacity masterly contrasted by large parts of glass-coverings reflecting the garden while offering brief glimpses of the interior. In-situ cast concrete was chosen due to its plasticity and because the geometry could be rationalized. Prefabricated concrete elements were out of question because of the buildings geometric complexity.
Cast as a concrete sandwich construction with insulation in the core the façade material can be exposed both inside and on the outside. The surface of the building is experienced as being one large piece folded gently around all the new exhibition spaces while the dark colour of the concrete underscores its formal unity. The architecture adapts to the landscape while differentiating itself from the surroundings.
Inside every gallery has a dynamic plan almost like a parallelogram, a form that acts on the visitor like a gently push to move on while the different spaces are weaving around each other in the most dynamic way. The dynamic found in the galleries are even repeated throughout the building in the reception desk, sinks in the restrooms, the solitary tilted wall fragments and so on. Besides this indirectly indication of direction the museum guest could rely on the consequence of the ceiling skylights arranged in parallel rows along with the lighting fixtures. Like most modern museum spaces this one is in fact blind folded to ensure the security of the masterpieces in its core protected like being a shrine. And the paintings by Impressionists masters such as Cezanne and Monet are displayed in these concrete caves of charcoal grey surfaces enhancing their colour palette.
The most dramatic feature of the building is found in multi-purpose room at the southernmost end of the new wing where concrete floor is lightly tilted while its gable folding further on into the ceiling while providing a fine view to both sides of the surrounding garden. Adjacent and in open connection to this meeting room probably meant for smaller conferences or introductions is a small café/restaurant unfortunately also being a source of incredible and unbearable noise due to the hard surfaces in most parts of the interior.
While there can be many pros and cont to be mentioned by this building it will without any doubt turn out to have a major impact on the current Danish architecture stiffened for more than a decade in a strangely boring minimalist and rectangular mainstream Modernism.
Text: Flemming Skude
Photographer: Andreas Trier Mørch
FACTS
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects, London
Local advisors: PLH Architects
Client: Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs
Size of the addition 1150 square metres
Cost: 50 millions Danish crowns
Addition finished 2005
