The Menil Collection - Access and Cafe
Spring 2000, Thesis Project Interior Architecture, University of Art and Design, Zurich
My on-site research
at the Menil Collection in Houston revealed both the uniqueness of the
collection as well as its remarkable lack of accessibility. This lack
of accessibility results from the collection’s complexity and the
housing of five autonomous buildings in a historical living and park district.
The suggested design reflects the method of reading the site with relation-diagrams.
The concept is based on the phenomenological process of perceiving art:
the entrance path into the visitor center opens up the view of each building,
step by step, as it also frames each building as one goes along. The tangential
path circles and passes by the art works yet certain central points of
the collection can only be circled by the visitors and not entered.
The Menil Collection has reached an interesting turning point. With the
nomination of a new director, the privately founded collection should
continue to thrive even after the passing of its initial collectors. The
management would like to extend its activities to attract a wider array
of visitors. They aim to build an auditorium for film and lectures. This
extended program of activities, in addition to the collection’s
size and diversity, demands that visitors spend many hours with the collection.
To make visitors feel more comfortable, a place for rest and contemplation
is necessary. Therefore a cafe should be built. I tried to find a contemporary
solution that respects the special culture of the place. The extended
services should raise the attraction of the museum and contribute to “visitor
friendliness”, without competing with the art collection.
Suggestion for Improvement
1. At the main road (W. Alabama St.), a wall with large lettering points
to the inside of the area.
2. The access of a new footpath on the old Mulberry Avenue leads the visitors
from the park- ing lot directly to the center of the area.
3. At the end of the access is the Reception Pavilion, where visitors
will find information about the different buildings and current exhibitions.
4. The Park will become united. Mulberry Av. will be closed between Branard
and Sol Ross St.
5. Direct paths through the park will connect the gallery buildings and
Reception Pavilion.
6. At the Reception Pavilion there will be a Cafe. As you make your way
through the building furnished windows will frame the view of the five
separate galleries.
7. To make these views possible, some of the trees and bushes in the park
will be cleared.
8. The two Bungalows in the park will be removed.
9. On the side of the new access an auditorium with a media library and
bookstore will be built.
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