Reimagining Rough Point
Project Type: Egress Renovation
Date: 2018 Spring
Site: Newport, Rhode Island
Client: Rough Point Museum
Professor: Julian Von Der Schulenburg, Neil Logan
Objective: The museum wants to add an exhibition space for the American heiress Doris Duke's fashion collection within the historical mansion.
Approach: Seeing that this historical mansion has only one way of egress, I propose to add another way of egress to complete the code requirements, and to also fulfill the museum's additional load of visitors that comes with the new fashion exhibition.
Result: A stair tower addition that not only completes the route of egress within this building, but also resonates with the historical formal progression of the museum's several renovations.
Site History
The different taste between the inhabitants resulted in varied interior atmonspheres from the South end to the North wing of the building.
Exhibition Spaces
Circulation
Because the North wing is more significant tothe Duke family, new exhibition spaces were proposed to be added in the North Wing. To fulfill the need for ways of egress, a fire stair is proposed in the addition.
Concept
The intent was to have a delicate light-weight sculpture stair that snakes around the solid elevator core, becoming not only a new means of egress for the museum, but also an important link between the 3 floors of exhibitions. The addition exposed the existing chimney , so when people are inside they can witness the connection between the old and the new.
Iterations
Through multiple iterations, several issues regarding the addition are explored: how the new construction’s facades relate to the existing structure, how the proportions of the window openings relate to the existing double height room windows in the Grand Hall and existing Stair Hall.
Final Model
Eventually, the facade was designed to resemble the existing facades closely with some elements abstracted, and have the interior be the contrasting element.
Drawings
