KOL/MAC LLC
ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

Description: The project is a conversion of pre-existing military barracks into a contemporary art and architecture museum. It is located in the historical part of Orléans and includes an outdoor courtyard. The client’s goal was to adaptively re-use and upgrade the existing structures while also adding a new building component in order to create an entry piece and a strong presence facing the city.

Conception:
The project explores a new museum paradigm by blending old and new structures through surfaces that graft and transform. A continuously sloping ground connects the museum interior in multiple ways to the exterior courtyard, the sidewalk and the rooftop terrace. At the same time the ramp/landscape together with the exterior surfaces act as a unifying and organizing device for the disparate pre-existing spaces. The interior spaces are organized according to frequencies of change with the monthly exhibit and conference areas located closest to the entrance and the permanent exhibitions farthest.

Construction:
The use of advanced shotcrete extends the concept of blending to material and building technique. A new generation of shotcrete, environmentally sound -and containing both structural (composite fiber) and ornamental (metal powder) admixtures- is used for the exterior surfaces of the new structure as well as for “repairs” and “touch-ups” of the old structures. This gold-colored concrete is applied in varying degrees of smoothness, now forming precise peaks and valleys, now splattering across the existing facades. An algorithmic splatter-technique also informs the distribution, size, and density of apertures on the exterior surfaces. The structure consists of a parametrically changing steel frame that adapts to the Klein-Bottle-like geometry of the new addition.

Read more about this project at 
WWW.KOLMACLLC.COM

RedEye ARC Model:
The museum model was built using our Polyjet equipment. The resin KOL/MAC LLC selected for the build is the semi translucent photo-polymer. The final size of the model was approximately 3 feet by 4 feet.

Testimonial: “The model of the Frac Museum looks amazing, thank you for a wonderful job. Matt, our account manager, helped simplify and streamline a process that has been highly stressful in the past. We look forward to our next project with RedEye.”

William Mac Donald
KOL/MAC LLC
Architecture + Design