DESIGN LITERATURE STUDY:

GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
OF MODERN ART
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
AR. MADHUR SIR MUGDHA GUPTA
AR. KIRTI MAM ANAMIKA BAGWARI
SUMIT THAKUR
ASHNA RAMACHANDRA
AQUIB JAVED
YASH GUPTA
 OVERVIEW
• SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK CITY, NY.
1959.
• 16 YEAR PROJECT DESIGNED BY
AMERICAN ARCHITECT FRANK LLOYD
WRIGHT.
• 700 SKETCHES AND 6 SETS OF
WORKING DRAWING.
• 51,000 FT2 GALLERY SPACE.
• 15,000 SQ. FT OFFICE, THEATER AND
RETAIL SPACE.
• 92FT TALL ATRIUM TOPPED WITH
EXPENSIVE GLASS DOME.
• MAIN RAMP COILS UPWARD 6 FLOORS,
MORE THAN ¼ MILE.
 INTRODUCTION
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
ARCHITECT

1071 FIFTH AVENUE , NEWYORK

LOCATION

1956-1959
PROJECT DURATION

ART MUSEUM
BUILDING TYPE

REINFORCED CONCRETE
CONSTUCTION SYSTEM

CONTEMPORARY STYLE
STYLE

3 MILLIONS
ANNUAL VISITORS

“FORM AND FUNCTION SHOULD BE ONE, JOINED IN A SPIRITUAL UNION”

-FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
 INTRODUCTION
• SOLOMEN R.GUGGENHIEM MUSEUM IS
THE FIRST PERMANENT MUSEUM
(RATHER THAN CONVERTED FROM A
PRIVATE HOUSE) BUILT IN USA.

• FRANK WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN

A BUILDING TO HOUSE THE MUSEUM OF
NON-OBJECTIVE PAINTING.

• THIS BUILDING WAS IMMEDIATELY

RECOGNIZED AS AN ARCHITECTURAL
LANDMARK AND THE MOST IMPORTANT
BUILDING OF WRIGHT'S LATE CAREER.
ABOUT THE ARCHITECT
• FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT WAS BORN ON JUNE 8, 1867.
• AMERICAN ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER, WRITER
AND EDUCATOR.
• DESIGNED MORE THAN 1,000 STRUCTURES AND
COMPLETED 500 WORKS.
• BELIEVED IN DESIGNING STRUCTURES THAT WERE IN
HARMONY WITH HUMANITY AND ITS ENVIRONMENT –
“ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE”.
• WORKS INCLUDE HOUSES, OFFICES, CHURCHES,
SCHOOLS, SKYSCRAPERS, HOTELS, AND MUSEUMS.
• ALSO DESIGNED INTERIOR ELEMENTS OF HIS
BUILDINGS, SUCH AS THE FURNITURE AND STAINED
GLASS.
• 1991 - RECOGNIZED BY THE AIA AS "THE GREATEST
AMERICAN ARCHITECT OF ALL TIME“.
 DESIGN CONCEPT
• THE BUILDING ITSELF BECAME A WORK
OF ART.

• AT THE CORE, AN OPEN ROTUNDA

OFFERS VIEWS OF ARTWORK ON
SEVERAL LEVELS.

• FROM THE STREET, THE BUILDING

LOOKS LIKE A WHITE RIBBON ROLLED
INTO A CYLINDRICAL SHAPE, SLIGHTLY
WIDER AT THE TOP THAN AT THE
BOTTOM.

• INTERNALLY, THE GALLERIES FORM A

SPIRAL.
• ITS DESIGN WAS INSPIRED BY A "ZIGGURAT" BABYLONIAN TEMPLE PYRAMID,
INVERTED.
PLAN
SECTION 3D VIEW
 BUILDING LAYOUT: BRIDGE
THE ROTUNDA AND MONITOR ARE CONNECTED BY THE SWEEPING HORIZONTAL
BRIDGE THAT ENCLOSES AND UNIFIES THE ENTIRE COMPOSITION. THIS FEATURE IS
GENERALLY RECTANGULAR WITH ROUNDED CORNERS AND A DEEP SEMICIRCULAR
PROJECTION AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER. THE BRIDGE SHELTERS THE MAIN
ENTRANCE, WHICH IS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING AT THE GROUND LEVEL
AND IS LIT BY RECESSED LIGHTING IN THE SOFFIT OF THE BRIDGE.
 BUILDING LAYOUT: BRIDGE
THE ROTUNDA AND MONITOR ARE CONNECTED BY THE SWEEPING HORIZONTAL
BRIDGE THAT ENCLOSES AND UNIFIES THE ENTIRE COMPOSITION. THIS FEATURE IS
GENERALLY RECTANGULAR WITH ROUNDED CORNERS AND A DEEP SEMICIRCULAR
PROJECTION AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER. THE BRIDGE SHELTERS THE MAIN
ENTRANCE, WHICH IS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING AT THE GROUND LEVEL
AND IS LIT BY RECESSED LIGHTING IN THE SOFFIT OF THE BRIDGE.
 BUILDING LAYOUT: ANNEX
CONTAINS FOUR FLOORS OF EXHIBITION SPACE, THREE OF WHICH ARE DOUBLE
HEIGHT, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL OFFICE, STORAGE, AND SPACE FOR BUILDING
INFRASTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS. THE NEW EXHIBITION AREAS ARE
CONNECTED TO THE ROTUNDA BEHIND THE TRIANGULAR STAIR TOWER AT THE
FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SEVENTH FLOORS.
 BUILDING LAYOUT: ROTUNDA
THE DOMINANT FEATURE OF THE MUSEUM, TAKES THE FORM OF A GIANT SPIRAL,
A SPRING RISING FROM THE GROUND FLOOR AND COILING FIVE TIMES AROUND AN
OPEN ROTUNDA TO A SKY-LIT DOME, OR OCULUS, NINETY-FIVE FEET ABOVE. THE
GALLERY WALLS ARE 9’-6” TALL AND SLOPE SLIGHTLY OUTWARDS AT NINETY-
SEVEN DEGREES FROM THE FLOOR. DESIGNED TO HOLD PAINTINGS, THE TILT OF
THE GALLERY WALLS WAS INTENDED TO REPLICATE THE SLOPE OF AN EASEL.
 BUILDING LAYOUT: MONITOR

THE INTERIOR OF THE MONITOR WAS

ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO
ACCOMMODATE WORK SPACES, OFFICES,
A LIBRARY, AND AN APARTMENT. THE
MONITOR’S GROUND FLOOR WAS
INCORPORATED INTO THE MUSEUM’S
MAIN LOBBY, WHILE THE SECOND,
THIRD, AND FOURTH LEVELS ARE NOW
OPEN, CONNECTED TO THE ROTUNDA
AND ENTIRELY DEVOTED TO GALLERY
SPACE.
 LIGHTING

• ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE MUSEUM

 IN GALLERIES
 EMITTINGFROM SMALL LIGHTS
• SKYLIGHT AT THE CENTRE OF THE MUSEUM IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF NATURAL LIGHT
 NAUTRAL LIGHT THROUGH THE WINDOWS
 TYPES OF LIGHT

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
WHICH GIVES
BRIGHTNESS AT
THE ENTRANCE OF
MUSEUM
NATURAL LIGHT WILL ALLOW
THROUGH WINDOWS

SKYLIGHT AT THE
CENTRE OF THE ARTIFICIAL
MUSEUM LIGHT
IS THE MAIN IN GALARIES
SOURCE OF
NATURAL LIGHT
 IMPORTANT FEATURES:
• IMPACT-ECHO TECHNOLOGY, IN WHICH SOUND
WAVES ARE SENT INTO THE CONCRETE AND THE
REBOUND IS MEASURED IN ORDER TO LOCATE
VOIDS WITHIN THE WALLS.

FROM STREET, LOOKS LIKE A WHITE RIBBON

RIBBON,CURLED INTO A CYLINDRICAL STACK WHICH
IS MADE UP OF REINFORCED CONCRETE.

• OVERLAPPING CURVES, COMPLEX

RAMP DESCRIBED AS A SIMPLE SPIRAL WHOSE
DIAMETER INCREASES AS IT RISES
INTERSECTIONS, A LONG INTERVAL OF
SMOOTH PLANES INTERRUPTED BY THE
DOUBLE BEAT OF THE VERTICAL CYLINDERS
THAT CONTAIN THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S
WASHROOMS.
• COLOUR OF INTERIOR WALLS IS NOT STARK WHITE, WHICHWRIGHT HATED, BUT
A KIND OF SOFT IVORY AND HAVING A SPIRAL RAMP WHICH IS WIDER IN TOP
THAN BOTTOM.

• THE RAMP IS A HELIX, COMPLICATED HELIX, BEING INTERRUPTED BY A BULGING

BALCONY AT EACH REVOLUTION.

• THE RAMP LEANS OUTWARD, BUT OTHER ELEMENTS, SUCH AS THE STRUCTURAL
FINS THAT TRANSFER THE WEIGHT OF THE RAMP TO THE OUTSIDE WALLS, AND
RISE TO SUPPORT THE CENTRAL SKYLIGHT, LEAN IN.

• THE CORK-SCREWING BALUSTRADE WHICH IS SLIGHTLY TILTED IS A SIMPLE

CONCRETE WALL WITH A PLEASANTLY ROUNDED TOP.
 A MONUMENT TO
MODERNISM, THE
UNIQUE
ARCHITECTURE OF
THE SPACE, WITH ITS
SPIRAL RAMP RIDING
TO A DOMED
SKYLIGHT,CONTINUES
TO THRILL VISITORS
AND PROVIDE A
UNIQUE FORUM FOR
THE PRESENTATION OF
CONTEMPORARY ART.

INTERNALLY, THE VIEWING GALLERY

FORMS A HELICAL SPIRAL FROM THE
MAIN LEVEL UP TO THE TOP OF THE
BUILDING.
 DISPLAY METHODS
• MOST OF THE CRITICISM OF THE BUILDING
HAS FOCUSED ON THE IDEA THAT IT
OVERSHADOWS THE ARTWORKS DISPLAYED
WITHIN, AND THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO
PROPERLY HANG PAINTINGS IN THE SHALLOW,
WINDOWLESS EXHIBITION NICHES THAT
SURROUND THE CENTRAL SPIRAL. THE WALLS
OF THE NICHES ARE NEITHER VERTICAL NOR
FLAT (MOST ARE GENTLY CONCAVE), MEANING
THAT CANVASSES MUST BE MOUNTED RAISED
FROM THE WALL'S SURFACE.
PAINTINGS ARE DISPLAYED ALONG THE
• THE LIMITED SPACE WITHIN THE NICHES WALLS OF THE SPIRAL AND ALSO IN
MEANS THAT SCULPTURES ARE GENERALLY EXHIBITION SPACE FOUND AT ANNEX LEVELS
RELEGATED TO PLINTHS AMID THE MAIN ALONG THE WAY.
SPIRAL WALKWAY ITSELF.
• DEBATE BETWEEN ARCHITECT, CLIENT, ART WORLD AND PUBLIC OPINION,
BECAUSE OF THE CONTRAST OF ITS FORMS WITHIN THE GRID NEW YORK CITY.

• ARTISTS PROTESTED SAYING THE SLOPING WALLS AND RAMP WERE NOT
SUITABLE FOR A PAINTING EXHIBITION.

• UNPOPULAR IN SOME CRITICISMS MADE BY ARTISTS WHO FEEL THE BUILDING

OVERSHADOWS THE WORKS EXHIBITED AND THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO PROPERLY
HANG THE PAINTINGS.