Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Arch203 Architectural Design III Assignment Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Submitted by: MUNIRA NASSER SALIM AL ABRI

Robert Venturi Robert Venturi was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1925. He attended the Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia and graduated from Princeton University. He worked with Eero Saarinen and Louis I. Kahn before he founded his own practice in 1958. In 1964 he formed a partnership with John Rausch. Three years later, his new wife, Denise Scott Brown, joined the partnership. Although Venturi has designed many buildings, his theories have created more impact. Based on the philosophy of 'complexity and contradiction', he has re-assessed architecture to stress the importance of multiple meanings in appreciating design. In contrast to many modernists, Venturi uses a form of symbolically decorated architecture based on precedents. He believes that structure and decoration should remain separate entities and that decoration should reflect the culture in which it exists. In contradiction, Venturi also considers symbolism unnecessary since modern technology and historical symbolism rarely harmonize.

 The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (or MCASD), in San Diego, California, USA, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present. MCASD provides an unprecedented variety of exhibition spaces and experiences for the community, showcasing an internationally recognized collection and a dynamic schedule of exhibitions and public programs.

Design Concept and Solution The Museum’s new facades extend beyond the house facade and contain institutional-scaled arched windows whose form and rhythms are reminiscent of other Irving Gill buildings, especially those of the Women’s Club building across the street and thereby gently enhance the scale of the Museum and the urban unity of the building’s immediate context.

Structure and Materials At street level inside, a new central lobby surmounted by a star-shaped clerestory serves as a kind of courtyard, providing access to a bookstore, the auditorium, and galleries. It’s also used as a banquet hall for special gala events. VSBA redesigned and expanded the existing Coast Room used for meetings, events, and educational activities; our renovations also created a larger library and reading conference room. The garden was enhanced with additional wheelchair-accessible paths and ramps while significant plants and vistas were preserved. In addition, Sherwood Auditorium was given a new entrance, refurbished seats and finishes, critically needed repairs, and new lighting and other systems.

Form and Space The museum look like classical tradition building. It is long building and it is on street level. It has arched windows whose form and rhythms along the building. Inside there is central lobby surmounted by a star-shaped with big columns clerestory serves as a kind of courtyard this providing access to other Museum attachments. It has too much lighting inside because there is a lot of big windows. The exhibition rooms are wide and have a few exhibitions. In some rooms using suitable lighting and related to kind of the exhibitions on the room but other rooms using natural lighting that also give a good view for outside.