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FIRSTSITE CONTEMPORANY ART

Fue inaugurado recientemente el Firstsite Contemporany Art, un centro de artes visuales contemporneo ubicado en la ciudad de Clochester, proyecto de Rafael Violy Architects. Colchester es la ciudad ms antigua registrada en el Reino Unido. Ubicada a 90 Kilmetros al nordeste de Londres fue capital de la Bretaa Romana y an conserva intacta la muralla que la delimita en su lado sur.

El Firstsite Contemporany Art se ubica en uno de los ms antiguos asentamientos romanos del Reino Unido. El nuevo edificio se relaciona con la axialidad del sitio histrico y la arquitectura existente. Su forma de medialuna envuelve un jardn del siglo XVII. Debido a la proximidad del edificio con reas arqueolgicas dispersas, se mont sobre una platea de hormign poco profunda, Su estructura esta constituida por un bastidor de acero revestido en una aleacin de cobre y aluminio. Se accede al centro a travs de un enorme prtico ubicado en uno de sus extremos. Las galeras se organizan sobre la longitud de media luna que debido a la dinmica de su forma favorece la circulacin del sitio. El centro esta compuesto por 12 salas diferentes y un auditorio y entre los objetos expuestos contiene el mosaico Romano Berrifield que fue restaurado recientemente .La superficie total cubierta del edificio es de 3.800 M2.

MEMORIA DE LOS ARQUITECTOS As the first effort in the revitalization of Colchesters historic St. Botolphs Quarter, firstsite: newsite anchors the long-term development plan of an under-utilized district. Rafael Violy Architects won the design competition for this new visual arts facility by expanding on the project brief, which would have destroyed the historic character of St. Annes Church. Once the construction site was moved eastward, the new museum was designed to create extra public space and parkland and to maintain and showcase local heritage sites, including early Roman ruins, while making a visually striking architectural statement. To the north, a crescent-shaped building wraps around an eighteenth-century Victorian garden. The building roof, which slopes slightly upward in line with the site topography, culminates in a monumental portico that frames the lobby with full-height glazing. To the south, the outside arc of the crescent faces a small Victorian garden and an intact Roman wall that defines the site boundary. Modern in both form and cladding (the exterior consists of a distinctive gold-hued skin of copper-and-aluminum alloy panels), the building adopts the sites axial geometry and the approximate height of the neighboring buildings. A concrete raft foundation allows the structure to rest on the ground and leave buried archaeological remains undisturbed, with no deep excavation required. firstsite, a prominent contemporary arts organization with no permanent collection of its own, hosts artists-in-residence and traveling exhibitions; the latter are displayed in the galleries near the center of the building and throughout the main circulation corridor. This main corridor runs along the crescents outer arc and slopes gently to draw visitors through the exhibition spaces, presenting outdoor views where possible to render the
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arts complex open and accessible. Where art is displayed and sunlight must be controlled, floor-level window strips provide diffused natural light while revealing the movement of people inside to visitors in the outdoor gardens. Other program spaces include a gift shop, an auditorium for film screenings and presentations, classrooms and education facilities, administrative offices, and a restaurant with an outdoor terrace for additional seating in good weather. Rafael Violy Architects

Fotografias: Richard Bryant Planos y Renders: Rafael Violy Architects

Publicado en TECNNE Marcelo Gardinetti Marzo de 2012

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