Kimball Art Center Finalists
Last week I was in Park City, Utah, home of the Kimball Art Center. Founded in 1976, and housed in what was once the Kimball Bros. auto garage, the Kimball is a living museum offering the people of this sleepy ski town (unless you show up for the Sundance Film Festival) gallery space, classes, education, and community engagement. And it's about to nearly triple in size thanks to its Transformation Project. Five architecture firms out of a shortlist of some 200 have been selected by the Kimball to design the extension it hopes to open by 2015. Check out the slideshow to see which designs have made the cut and to learn more about how this particular architecture competition works.
In my time in Park City I met with Robin Marrouche, Executive Director of the Kimball and board member Buzz Strasser to sort out precisely how this architecture competition will run. I find many of these competitions entirely mysterious, a process where time is marked more by press releases than the actual practice of architecture. But Marrouch and Strasser described exactly how things went, including the Kimball's very tight timeline.
At the outset they started with a shortlist of some 200 design firms, but with the help of competition advisor Donald Stastny, narrowed it down to 18. In September the 18 firms got their letters of invitation and had a scant couple weeks to reply with letters of intent. On October 13th the jury reviewed their submissions and the next day chose the five finalists you'll see in the slideshow.
Since then the architects have presented their firms and ideas to Park City (November 2nd), supplied models (December 21st), have had their work on display to the public (December 21st to January 13th). The architects each get an hour to present another set of models on February 2nd and the jury makes its decision on February 3rd.
All told, it's an extremely accelerated process that Marrouche says the Kimball could not have gotten through without Stastny's help. I'm excited to see who wins!
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I live in the Park City area. My choice would be Bruder's design. It is artistic, but seems to me to utilize the majority of the space for year round use. The weather is not always accommodating to outdoor seating. It seems to have a nice open, airy feel, lots of daylight filtering in, and an enclosed outdoorsy type space for people to congregate. My second choice would be...(sorry, of page so I cannot get the architects name) the white plexiglass facade. The company from Belgium is my least favorite. It would overpower the corner, of which I am very familiar, and it has a overbearing, heavy, claustrophibic look. Well...that's my two cents worth!
I am a resident of Park City and also a frequent visitor to the Kimball Art Center. Being involved in both architecture and art in my profession, I definitely feel I have a unique perspective on this competition. First I am thrilled to have this caliber of talent competing to design our fantastic art and community center. Although we are hardly a "sleepy ski town", we don't have many opportunities or space these days for incredible buildings. I've studied all 5 options extensively and all have their merits and all have their downfalls. Brooks + Scarpa's design would likely never make it past the planning board as it goes against night time lighting standards. BIG's twisting timber tower is impressive and his rooftop deck is fantastic, but as my husband says, "looks like a giant viking ship. Will Bruder's design is great, although I worry it could become dated. TWBTA is a little on the boring side. And finally local Salt Lake firm, Sparano + Mooney has come up with a beautiful design that captures the spirit of the town. We don't need something glitzy, hulking or cosmopolitan. We need a timeless design, inspired by the people and the landscape of our town, a place for workshops and community activity and a space that gives art a new and beautiful stage. At first I was all for a big name firm with a grand and exciting design, but now I believe we need a firm who knows our town, knows what the mountains mean to us and understands how the space is for both the community and the world. I look forward to seeing the presentations next week.
BIG all day long. The ideas that spawn from that firm are not just beautiful, but well thought out and have ultra creative/unique solutions to problems. If you look at some of their case studies you first see the concept and think, "wow, that looks really great". Then you read the reasoning behind the designs and how it will work and that's where the jaw drops. Simply incredible.
The Sparano Mooney entry is by far the most successful of the five. Having visited Park City myself, I find the materials being used recall the essence of the mountain town. The depth achieved in the space is incredible. I love how the large wooden structure juts out past the street and is encased in this glass structure. Although I do enjoy the effect of the etched trees (which also gives privacy to those inside) it could become somewhat tacky/cartoony if done incorrectly. This design has plenty of outdoor space on the roof top. It is appropriate for all seasons. This entry really celebrates and enhances Park City.
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