Towards the Door We Never Opened
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable…
- Burnt Norton, T.S. Eliot
We believe the original design of Saarinen’s Cranbrook Academy of Art will manifest itself in the future in a trace of its already-gone existence. As for our design interventions, we decided to keep most of the original building envelope, in order to use it as a base from which the new extensions evolve from.
Rather than an artifact that has a fixed, flat relationship with its visitors, we try to imagine the Saarinen’s building to be something like a living organism, such that a dynamic, 3-dimensional spatial relationship should be developed with its visitors, as if a dialogue is developing between the building and its users. This is achieved by putting a series of ramps inside the original building volume such that visitors can experience the building in multiple perspectives. Some of the existing ground floor level is proposed to be cut in order to create a better spatial relationship for the building, from ceiling to basement. Above the existing ground floor level we propose to put up a series of half levels for the new programs. Part of the original ceiling is proposed to be opened up in order to let in light and facilitate natural ventilation inside the building.
The building is proposed to expand from the basement level and thus a 1-storey high extension is created, connecting to the original building from its north and south side. As a result a stage like platform to the original building is created, dignifying the original Saarinen’s creation. The extension on the south side serves as the main entrance to the library and museum while the roof of the extension serves as an informal roof terrace. The extension is covered partly with glass and partly with aluminum panels, in order to provide visitors with different glimpses of the building when under different parts of the roof and to minimize heat gain.
The circular sculpture fountain on the north side of the original building is proposed to sink one level down and act as a second entrance to the extension of the museum. A circular ramp is designed around the fountain to lead visitors from the existing ground level to the basement level below, which is an internal courtyard that leads into the exhibition space of the museum extension.
In conclusion, this design proposal tries to treat the Saarinen’s building as an organic entity that evolves over time, the coexistence and juxtaposition of the past, present, and (projected) future elements of the building aims at provoking an extra dimension of emotion to the material reality of the building.
