mpcox

dear trace..I am the Martin Cox quoted above and I was the Holl PA for the Bellevue project (I don’t know why the website link above calls me a manager – I’ve never seen that before). The intent of the “red barn” idea here is different than the examples above – O’D+T, etc. As you can see from the pic, the building is in a featureless US town (not the Irish landscape). However, the concerns with a raw material tectonic (rough concrete) to contrast against the surrounding melange of shiny mall buildings, an expressive color because so much around is beige or grey (including the sky), robust details and open spatial volumes inside were part of the “art barn” approach, and are analagous to other examples cited above. Its also a reference to the brief – this is not a true Museum (no collection) and much of the programme is based on hands-on studio work and strong ties with regional crafts.