Modernisation and Expansion of Buildings of Copper Museum
Modernisation and Expansion of Buildings of Copper Museum Located at Partyzantow and Sw. Jana St. in Legnica and Lapidarius Adhering to the Buildings
CONCEPT :
Copper Museum in Legnica is located in a well defined urban complex. It is an integral part of the Old Town area of the city.
The project idea assumed the following objectives: creation of new identity for existing buildings, improving conditions of work for Museum employees and creation of a final object that would become an attractive symbol of Legnica centre.
The eventual project uses the combination of patinated copper and glass, presented in a contemporary way. Colour of patina is inspired by the colour of roofs of surrounding buildings, glass is neutral, but adds a new value to the final look of the building.
New Museum of Copper turns into an open, contemporary institution, inviting every pedestrian to visit its premises, becomes an attractive part of the city centre, emphasizes the city character of Legnica.
URBAN PLANNING :
The buildings of Museum of Copper have been located in the city centre of Legnica, within the Old Town, near the market square and other objects of historic and monumental value, under conservatory protection.
The elevation of Museum buildings, together with neighbouring buildings, form the frontage of Partyzantow Street and Sw. Jana Street. Currently, the main entrance to the building is located at Sw. Jana St. From the inner courtyard, the Museum building adheres to the habitable houses and garage buildings.
The project respects historic values of surroundings, aims at better definition of the purpose of the whole area, including new plan of communication channels and additional greenery.
The elements of projected rebuilding fit existing objects well in scale and proportions. They are not dominant, they aim to compliment the look of surrounding in a more contemporary manner.
Project of rebuilding of the Museum of Copper includes: redefinition of existing buildings at Partyzantow Street and Sw. Jana Street, building of the new wing of Museum alongside Partyzantow Street, and expansion of entrance space with new hall, connection with Lapidarius and roofing of Lapidarius area.
The key elements of urban composition are: existing Museum buildings from South-West side and North-West side, newly designed building from Northern side that would close frontage at Partyzantow Street, the roofed inner courtyard with entrance area and Lapidarius. The courtyard design is accented with cuboid blocks that create the composition plan of this interior.
Repeating sequences of copper and glass cuboid blocks create the Museum entrance plaza and the public space from the side of Rycerska and Partyzantow Streets. The existing greenery has been partly modified, new greenery elements have been added to emphasize the new planning concept.
DESIGNED BUILDINGS – SERVICING
The Museum Building consists of existing buildings, entrance hall, Lapidarius and the administrative building, which completes frontage at Partynantow Street.
The new entrance to the Museum has been located at Eastern side, through the courtyard and roofed Lapidarius, accessible from Rycerska Street. Administration building entrance has been located from the courtyard and its south-eastern façade. The existing buildings from the side of Św. Jana and Partyzantow Street form the framework of courtyard together with main hall and Lapidarius. Courtyard is a space open to public, accessible within Museum working hours.
Outer exposition elements have been designed to function as the fencing for the whole surface. Entrance to glazed Lapidarius is closable from both Rycerska and Partyzantow Street.
New project allows to widen the pavement area, as the foreground of Museum, with an option to locate a few additional parking spaces.
Deliveries to Museum have been provided from Sw. Jana Street, directly to reloading area with available freight lift.
Food service point can be accessed from habitable buildings courtyard.
Evacuation is provided via the fire exists from newly designed inner staircases, respectively from Sw. Jana Street and Museum courtyard from Rycerska Street, as well as the separated, existing staircase, with exit from the ground floor at Partyzantow Street.
ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS
Architecture of Museum of Copper building respects conservatory standards resulting from local urban planning of the Old Town Centre of Legnica. Buildings from the side of Sw. Jana Street and Partyzantow Street, kept their historical character. The newly designed part respects the existing monumental values and character of institution with simplicity and elegance of used elements. New elements come in contrast with existing forms by use of contemporary technologies, at the same time they remain neutral towards already existing elements of decorations and stuccoworks. Historical context plays superior role over new architecture. Colours follow the tone of weathered copper, presenting contemporary way of using this material, not necessarily only as the roofing material. Use of copper clearly suggests the function and purpose of the building of Museum of Copper.
Details of fencing form a kind of ornament, delicate accent on neutral, glazed building façade. Use of glass is neutral and does not change accents in existing building character.
The double glazed building façade and glass cuboids within the Lapidarius form the large-size museum exposition, which is not limited only to Museum interior. Elements of glass and weathered copper form a characteristic, recognisable pattern, visible from the distance, especially in the dusk.
It has been proposed to use the light illumination, fluently changing colours, which should emphasize the dynamics of the used materials and composition elements.
FUNCTIONAL SET-UP
Rebuilding of Museum of Copper assumes using the existing chambers in the building at Partyzantow and Sw. Jana Streets for their current purpose, i.e. for permanent exhibitions: “Legnica” and ‘Man and Copper”.
The arrangement of compartments on particular storeys ensures division of functions of the building segments.
Functional set-up has been arranged based on different segments of the building, respectively:
Exposition – building at Sw. Jana and Partyzantow St
Entrance areas – newly designed entrance hall from the courtyard side
Administration – newly designed building at Partyzantow St.
Lapidarius – inner courtyard.
Functional set-up assumes the following division of chambers on building storeys:
Basement level: is the zone of warehouses and workshops as well as supporting rooms, including technical warehouses.
Within the basement level, under the existing buildings, some small correction has been foreseen to current function of chambers. The basement under the main hall will be devoted to warehousing functions. Administration building currently has basement under part of it. It is possible to use the foundation at the level of existing basements from Partyzantow Street, allowing the space for additional technical service chambers, which have not been presented in the contest assumptions.
Basement level includes: warehouse of mining and steelworks engineering, warehouse of minerals, warehouse of handicrafts, general workshop, metal objects workshop, archaeological warehouses, medals and coins warehouse, sovietic warehouse, graphics warehouse, sculpture warehouse.
Ground floor level: is the area of entrance and exposition – exhibition ‘Legnica’, and in the newly designer part – administration zone.
The ground floor includes: main hall with cash-desks and cloakroom, ticket control area and the café. The rebuilt ground floor of the building at Sw. Jana Street, includes multifunctional chamber with back-up facilities, museum shop, public toilets and shipping area. Chambers of building from Partyzantow Street have been devoted to Legnica exhibition purposes. The ground floor of administration building has been designed for the chambers of Art Department, Archeological Department, Science and Education Department and sanitary facilities for employees.
1st floor level: is the area of exposition - expositions: Legnica, Man and Copper, and in the newly designed building – administration zone.
The existing buildings will be adapted for exhibition purposes. From the first floor level, the administration building has been functionally joint with the existing building from Partyzantow Street. The slipway, located in the central part of the building, over the hall, links different levels of the first floor in existing buildings. This level also becomes the special purpose exhibition area that could be included in the sight-seeing route of Legnica exhibition.
At the 1st floor of administration building, there are chambers of History of Mining and Steel Works Department, Administration Department, Finance Department and sanitary facilities for employees.
2nd floor level: is the area of expositions: Legnica, Man and Copper, and in the newly designed building – administration zone.
The existing buildings will be adapted for exhibition purposes. Passage through the different levels between the storeys in existing buildings, where Legnica and Man and Copper exhibitions have been located is possible via the inner slipway, which is the part of exhibition area. In the building from Sw. Jana Street, the attic area has been adapted for exhibition purposes. In administration building, at the 2nd floor level, there are Chambers of Museum Management Board, conference room and sanitary facilities for employees.
3rd floor level: is the area of warehouses and supportive technical and warehouses chambers.
At the attic level of the building at Partyzantow Street, there is a library with its magazine, packaging and equipment warehouse, exposition materials warehouse.
Functional and communication set –up of the building allows the flexible arrangement of exhibition areas, with many possibilities of changes and adaptation to up-to date surface needs.
The existing chambers in the building at Partyzantow Street, allow the natural thematic division of particular parts, due to their construction, existing interior elements, vaulting, etc.
In the rebuilt part from Sw. Jana Street, there are one-chamber compartments on both 1st floor and attic level, which allow flexible adaptation, sharing or use for large-size expositions.
The area of the slipway, connecting the existing buildings, being rather wide, allows its usage for a special type of exposition. e.g. photographic exposition or, small spatial form expositions, etc.
Separation of administration chambers, Board chambers, Museum Departments in a different building, allows to use all over ground storeys of existing buildings for exhibition purposes, at the same time ensuring separation of the areas of employees from the area of visitors. Splitting of those functions allows the smooth visitors flow and secures the proper working conditions in areas not involved in direct visitors service.
Location of warehouses and workshops directly below and over the exhibition area allows direct communication between those parts of Museum.
Location of the multifunctional chamber on the ground level, at the end of the visiting route, allows organisation of film show, lecture, etc. Location of chambers and supporting rooms on the ground floor, also makes this area independent from the other parts of the building devoted for visitors.
The general access communication in the building is via two staircases K1, K2 and lifts D1 and D2. Staircase K3 together with lift D3 serve the administration purposes.
Location of staircases in every segment of Museum Building conforms to evacuation rules for the Museum building.
The freight lift located in the central part of the building enables the service of exhibitions, connection of delivery areas with warehouses and workshops at the exposition level.
Horizontal communication is via corridors in particular segments of the building, located from the courtyard side and the slipway connecting the levels of exposition Legnica and Man and Copper at 1st and 2nd floors of the building.
The existing staircase in the building at Partyzantow Street has been adapted for general communication. The hollow of the staircase allows installation of lift connecting all levels of the building.
All over ground storeys have been adapted for service of disabled visitors.
At every usable level, there are sanitary facilities for visitors within the area of exhibitions and main hall, and for the employees in the administrative part.
For proper service of Museum employees, each level includes social annexes and closets for cleaners.
Administrative offices for employees have been designed alongside of outer walls of the building to ensure access to natural lighting.
USE OF MATERIALS
Adaptation of design to the area which is clearly defined in cubature and style, full of objects of historical and cultural values, requires usage of neutral materials and technologies of newly designed elements, which would fit the existing objects, at the same time clearly indicating the time and purpose of realisation.
Surrounding architecture presents repeating tones and colours of elevations and roofing in dominating buildings.
Materials used for building and finishing of designed elements form a toned, natural pallet, slightly rough in expression, smoothened with elements of green, both in form of natural plants and the colour of weathered copper.
The colours of materials are natural from sandy elevations of existing buildings, grey stones to changing colours of glass, depending on part of the day.
Architectural elements, used in buildings, interiors and Lapidarius arrangement have been designed to act only as natural background for museum expositions.
The dominating finishing materials, defining the final look of designed parts of the Museum building, are the neutral materials, like see-through and frosted glass, and elements of patinated copper wire net.
Double glazing facades and wire net form the outer elevation of the administration building, entrance hall, slipway cover, and expositional elements of Lapidarius.
Part of Lapidarius is covered by glazed roof set on steel construction, with colours fitting curtain of the ark.
The elevations of existing buildings need to go through the renovation works and should be reconstructed according to conservatory instructions.
The roof of the building at St. Jana Street is planned to be exchanged with copper tinware.
The other finishing elements of inner floors and finishing of Lapidarius are made of granite, a characteristic stone for Legnica area.
All internal installations will be redesigned to fit all needs of both chambers in reconstruction and the newly built ones.
The Museum chambers need to be equipped with mechanical ventilation systems and air conditioning. On the basement level, technical support areas will be located in the number fitting the needs of installation services staff of the building.
AUTHORS:
architect Małgorzata Pilinkiewicz
architect Tomasz Studniarek