NITERO MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Content

• Description• Spaces• Structure• Materials

DescriptionThe Niteroi museum of contemporary art is a building located in the city of Niteroi witch is in Guanabara Bay, opposite to Rio de Janeiro city in Brazil. It was designed by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer with the assistance of structural engineer Bruno Contarini .

One of the facts that make this building very interesting is the area where it was constructed; it stands on a narrow area by a cliff and surrounded by the sea, so the natural solution was a central support. At the time of its construction its shape was considered very revolutionary.Another characteristic is the appearance of lightness of the building; this is thanks to the elements that surround it and a reflecting pool at its base.

SpacesThe project consists of a semi-underground facility and an upper body that consists of three levels. An external ramp leads visitors to the first two floors of the museum, connecting the public space with the core that contains the permanent exhibition hall.

Ground floor

In addition to the store where works are saved, there is a bar, a restaurant and an auditorium with capacity for 60 people.

First level

It contains the reception, a work room, a large lobby, administrative offices and access to the large double height hexagonal room, surrounded by a circular path with views of the bay through a window surrounding the entire level.

Mezzanine

This is between the first and second level around the entire interior of the museum. It is divided into smaller rooms, also for exhibitions.

Second level

On this floor there are five galleries.

StructureNiemeyer designed a radial structure 16m high, with a deck of 50m in diameter and an area of almost 2000 m2 which is based on a single central cylinder support.

This complex structure that appears to float in the air was designed to withstand a weight equivalent to 400 kg / m² and winds up to 200 km / hour.

Materials

5,500 tons of excavated material were removed and 3.2 million cubic meters of concrete were consumed

Cover: The circular roof received heating and waterproofing treatment.

Beams: The beams were built with prestressed concrete.

Floor: Concrete was used for the construction of the great ramp, combined with the white side walls. The floors of the halls were covered with blue carpet.

Crystals: The 70 triplex glass plates were manufactured exclusively for the project. Each sheet of 18 mm thick is 4.80m high and 1.85m wide. Framed by steel bars and with an inclination of 40 degrees to the horizontal plane it can sustain a weight equivalent to 20 people.

Lights: For the main room, a lighting technique involving the environment together with the lighting from the windows was usedThe same applies to the upper floor; hidden indirect light gently illuminates the environment.In total to illuminate the main exhibition halls were necessary 400 fluorescent lamps and 200 dichroic lamps.

Externally, the museum is illuminated by 34 aircraft light bulbs, 1000 watts each and installed on or under water at the base of the building, creating a spatial pitch that emphasizes the lightness of the main structure.