Museum of Automotion

Mansilla + Tunon Arquitectos

Luis Moreno Mansilla + Emilio TunonThey became friends during their time at the Architecture School of Madrid, graduating in 1982. Both of them moved into the studio of Rafael Moneo, where they worked for a period of 10 yrs, until 1992 when they set up private practice together.

M a t e r i a l i t y

Materiality defined as the quality or character of a certain material or composed matter.

M a t e r i a l i t y

What is it made of?

Materiality defined as the quality or character of a certain material or composed matter.

M a t e r i a l i t y

What is it made of?

Does it have an effect?

Materiality defined as the quality or character of a certain material or composed matter.

M a t e r i a l i t y

What is it made of?

Does it have an effect?

How does it feel?

Materiality defined as the quality or character of a certain material or composed matter.

On introduction, Mansilla and Tunon characterise their project as introverted, a fortification perforated with round skylights. The material sensation I get from this image is much like that of a Spanish castillo, or castle.

A fortification such as this places less emphasis on contemporary architectural values such as transparency and metallic glow, seen in many car oriented precedents. More like an old masters art museum, the heavily fortified walls seems to suggest something of great worth waiting inside to be discovered.

As a way of relating to the materiality of a Spanish castle, the architects have devised their own masonry-like material, one that may be directly attributed to the car. So that in the most literal sense, this building that is designed ‘for’ cars is in turn made out ‘of’ cars.

As the architects like to argue, an unsustainable thing like the car can in its last days be rescued as an eco-friendly building material.

P r o g r a m m e

P r o g r a m m e

What has to happen?

P r o g r a m m e

What has to happen?

How does it work?

P r o g r a m m e

What has to happen?

How does it work?

Can it inform my big ideas?

With this diagram we see how Mansilla and Tunon begin by examining what activities this museum is made up of. The colours of green and blue are used to distinguish between those spaces that are more celebrated, like an exhibition space, and those that are more utilitarian, like an archives storeroom.

With this image we can understand how the architects may be thinking conceptually. We already know that the museum is round. Later I will discuss the layers in which this circular form is quite well thought out. I’m sure we all understand the circle (or wheel) as bearing a relation to things machine-like.

Now Mansilla and Tunon begin to establish certain relationships occurring within the programme. Much like you are right now with your projects, they are figuring out how it may work. The grouping of circles associate certain areas together. Oval shaped dotted lines seem to suggest individual levels in the building. And arrows most likely point to areas of access into the building, both public and private.

This diagram, or areas matrix, outlines to us where everything is going. Key functions of the museum are identified, such as exhibition space. Without knowing too much about the project, we can tell Mansilla and Tunon have figured out how to bring the programme, with numerous areas and complex relationships, into some bigger idea for the museum.

I m a g e r y

I m a g e r y

What can you imagine it to be like?

I m a g e r y

What can you imagine it to be like?

How can it translate into architecture?

I m a g e r y

What can you imagine it to be like?

How can it translate into architecture?

Can it be read like pages from a book?

#4 Does it need to be read (understood) to be an ‘experience’ of the work?- critique of post-modernism

Does anything come to your mind when you look at this image? PAUSEThe architects mention the phrase machine-orientated space when describing the interior quality of the exhibition space.

When I look at that image my mind take me to the image of a belt drive at the front of a car engine. The architects’ image for their museum seems illusory of a collection of rotating drive shafts seen on this BMW car engine.

Once this imagery for their project is established it is time for ‘play’.

By play I mean the exploration of an idea. The allusion to an machine engine sounds interesting, but how does it translate into a form of architecture?

As we see in these slides, a period exploring the idea of machine-like space is ensues with the fun and games of model making. Lots and lots of models is what it takes for Mansilla and Tunon to explore a single idea. The same goes for each of us when it comes to exploring the potential of own ideas.

The photographing of your models is another technique of communication worth trying. An image such as this re-presents these models in scale-less fashion, and speaks something about machine-like space or cylindrical light wells.

The architectural translation of such imagery can be understood from these axonometric drawings. The exploded axo on the right, in particular, illustrates a museum interior filled with cylindrical light wells, that are first expressed in the roof plane, and then extruded vertically into multiple levels of the building.

The first floor houses the permanent exhibition and is a double height space. See how the cylindrical light wells inform the layout of car exhibits. The cars splayed in circle arrangements seem to me illusory of teeth on a rotating gear.

Mezzanine floor above

Plan arrangement of cylindrical light wells.

As your projects develop it is important to explore the potential of your ideas with bigger models. Huge models such as this one can be used for photographing the interior and presenting a perspective impression of you project.

With this image we are seduced by the potency of the cylindrical light wells. We can see how the large scale shell generates a single space of uninterrupted movement. Movement expressed here in the form of people, light and automobile exhibits, all connected by the presence of these cylindrical light wells.

R e f e r e n c e

R e f e r e n c e

What comes before us?

R e f e r e n c e

What comes before us?

Do you have a personal critique?

R e f e r e n c e

What comes before us?

Do you have a personal critique?

How can I make it my own?

With this image the architects identify strongly with the presence of the highway. As I gazed at this image I was struck by the thought that I had seen this all before. Its cylindrical form and fortified walls seemed place itself in a historical context of modern architecture, and associated typology. Typology in architecture refers to the classification of building types. Raphael Moneo was a great proponent of typology during his time educating, both in the Madrid School and later Havard. An architect I am sure these architects are all too aware of is Louis Kahn, an architect who in his day understood typology to the extent that many building types we revolutionised under certain projects such as the Kimbell Art Gallery, Exeter Library and Richards Medical research towers.

The building type that Mansilla and Tunon refer to can be seen in this perspective drawing by Louis Kahn. It is the proposed Civic Centre for Philadelphia of 1957. The cylindrical structures are perimeter parking and shopping buildings, intended to protect the historic city centre from the damaging effects of automobile traffic.

Plan of proposed automobile traffic, parking and pedestrian travel patterns. The spiral elements, which Kahn called ‘wound up’ streets are parking garages.

Looking at this map we understand the location of the museum placed on the outskirts of Madrid, similar to how Louis Kahn imagined his garage/shopping malls. This historical referencing of Mansilla and Tunon’s work elevates this project as a legitimate piece of architecture to be studied and admired.

Further influence of Kahn can be attributed in the planning of the building. As we can read, the large span exhibition space dominates from the centre, whilst all services, such as lifts, toilets and fire stairs, are pushed to the periphery. In the most generic sense, the architects have distinguished between Kahn’s served’ and ‘servant’ zones of the building. What I appreciate here is how cleverly the Mansilla and Tunon have borrowed from Kahn, once again, and applied in a way that makes most sense given it is an automobile museum. The rim of services placed on the outer edge evokes further car imagery of a tyre.

Appreciate the graphic simplicity of this elevation. Notice how the trees appear circular in section and elevation, just as they have in plan, always reinforcing the machine-like diagram.

In this detail section parts of the building as clearly distinguised. Moving from left to right we have the open exhibition space, services zone and thickness of the facade where the blocks of smashed cars are positioned into a steel support frame. The facade seems to be a reinvention of a stone gabion wall, a form of construction quite often noticeable when you are traveling at speed down the freeway. Just another reference to automobile culture made prevalent by the architects.