Lead architect to share inside stories, photos
BY ELIZABETH WITHEY, EDMONTON JOURNALSEPTEMBER 16, 2009COMMENTS (9)
STORYPHOTOS ( 2 )VIDEO ( 1 )
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Renovations underway at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
Photograph by: Shaughn Butts, Edmonton Journal
LECTURE PREVIEW
Randall Stout Presents: the new art Gallery of alberta
When: Saturday at 2 p. m.
Where: Winspear Centre
Tickets: $10, available at the door or from the aGa at 780-422-6223
Architect Randall Stout will speak at the Winspear on Saturday afternoon about the new Art Gallery of Alberta, which continues to take shape in Churchill Square. Stout, the Los Angeles-based lead architect of the gallery renovation project, will offer insights on the design inspiration and cutting-edge construction technology used to create the swirling, exterior "borealis." He'll also answer audience questions and share photos of the building's yet-to-be-seen interior. There will also be an announcement about the opening date of the AGA.
The Journal recently spoke with Stout about the project, including its impact on downtown Edmonton some critics' opinion that the design is a Frank Gehry "knock-off."
What can we expect at the Saturday talk?
I thought I would go into a little more detail than I have in the past, some of the behind-the-scenes activities and process models from the competition. I'm sure some folks are curious about the different steps we went through to develop the architectural languages of the building, and I thought I would lift the curtain on that and show some of the awkward moments, the "oh, wow" moments that occurred during the competition.
What was one of those awkward or oh-wow moments?
We were working with separated pieces of curved forms (on the exterior) and there was a moment when we decided to merge all of those and make a singular contiguous form, which is now the affectionately named "borealis" element of the building. Leading up to that, there had been a series of separate forms, each trying to address an independent functionality that the gallery had asked for (grand stair, members' lounge, balustrade and entry canopy). Those four pieces found their way into one piece and that was kind of a special moment in the development of the project.
What gave you the biggest headache coming up with the design?
The toughest part was that I had a great appreciation for the original structure. One always wants to be respectful of the successes of past architecture. Yet there were some aspects of the building that were a contradiction to what the gallery was asking for in its new vision program. So that was really the thing that was the biggest struggle for me, trying to resolve how much of the old building plan and logic to sacrifice in favour of the new vision program requirements. Emotionally anyway, coming to grips was difficult.
In the end, are you happy with how much(of the old gallery) you were able to preserve?
Because we kept so much of the cast-in-concrete walls on the first and second floor, I think we have some wonderful galleries on the first and second floors. I do attribute that to the original structure. We finessed it a bit and made dramatic improvements in terms of climate control and building envelope issues such as temperature and humidity control. But the bones--if you think of a building as skin and bones-- we certainly had some good bones to work with.
You have said that the goal of this new gallery's design is to welcome all sorts of people to experience contemporary art. Now, looking at the building coming together, do you think it's going to achieve this?
I do. I think what we've created is a very intriguing object, one that really begs for exploration. If you see it as an object in the landscape in Churchill Square, your sense of being separated from that changes the moment you walk in the door and you feel surrounded and engaged by it. The (borealis) form comes down quite low into the atrium, and that form is your escort. You participate with that form, you're an actor on the stage, as opposed to the observer in the audience once you're inside the building. The borealis becomes your travelling companion.
You had never been to Edmonton or even Western Canada before this project. How did this hinder or help you to come up with a gallery design for our city?
There's an interesting side to that, in that my lack of knowledge led to a strong interest on my part to go through this immersion process with the city, even before I started the competition design. I made multiple trips to the city, I got engaged with civic and business leaders. I tried to learn as much as I could quickly. Perhaps if one had a casual understanding or a presumed understanding, maybe one might not go through that intensive acquaintance period. Who knows, maybe that worked in my favour.
What of the Randall Stout "signature" might we see in this building?
I try not to have a signature style that's imported verbatim because I don't think it's appropriate for one of my designs in Germany or southeastern U. S. to be replicated elsewhere. I try to really home in on some areas of uniqueness in terms of the forms I'm working with and why they're meaningful for an area....There's a general sense about this project that is consistent. There's an uplifting feeling when you walk in the door and see the light-filled spaces. That magic, that uplifting moment, is something I strive for in my projects.
Some critics have called your design a Frank Gehry knock-off. What do you say to that?
It's a complex subject. Clearly I contributed quite a bit to Gehry's office during the 7-1/2 years I was there. Gehry clearly was a mentor and influenced me as well. I will say there are things I do very differently in terms of process, and there are language differences. I do not believe Frank has done anything like the singularity of the borealis, where all the pieces pull together as a single fluid surface. Clearly there are influences but there are also differences.
Obviously the new AGA will be a hot, sexy piece of architecture on Churchill Square. Do you think it will draw everything together architecturally, or will it just stick out in comparison to other buildings that are perhaps in need of a makeover?
Any time an important new civic work comes into the public realm, it raises the bar, it garners a lot of attention. But I think, in the long term, it causes some upgrades and improvements along the way that are beneficial to the city. Some of that could happen in Churchill Square. In the past, the performing arts and city hall have had a much greater presence architecturally on the square, and because of the low, two-storey nature of the AGA, the fine arts presence on the square, if you will, was always of a lesser stature, at least visually. So I think this is really an equalization of presence, if you will, a completion of all those cultural institutions.
OPENING
Opening saturday at the art Gallery of alberta in conjunction with randall stout's talk is Museums of the 21st Century: Concepts, Projects, Buildings.
The show, which comes from the art centre basel in switzerland, offers a survey of 27 of the most important museum projects from the early part of this century, including the stonehenge Visitor centre and interpretive museum in Wiltshire, england, the centre pompidou metz in france, the chichu art museum in Japan and berlin's famed museum island.
The exhibition, the only canadian stop for the show, runs until dec. 13.
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