Winning project ( 3rd place) of the “RED SQUARE TOLERANCE PAVILION” an Architecture competition organized by HMMD international architecture competitions
The BENDING GALLERIES
From a moral point of view, tolerance is the virtue that makes one respect what it would not spontaneously accept or sometimes what one would consider being against its own convictions. More commonly it is about accepting each others differences, be they religious, sexual, ethnical, etc. By metaphor, the tolerance topic is illustrated by five galleries tied to various religions and meet in one common space : “tolerance”. Laid out in spirals, these galleries merge into one single space thus creating an architectural language inspired by the geometry of Cathedral Saint Basil’s bulbs.
The work is set on two stories. On the ground floor, the reception lobby, workshops, advice & support office as well as a conference room. By two soft slopes, disabled access-friendly, we reach the higher story, the bar and the performance area. Although the latter are located within the pavilion, they are designed to be open air. Ground floor spaces can independently be closed, only the galleries have to remain open to the public and lead to the bar and performance area. The project is made out of two independent structures. The first one, the inside parts of the program, is based on a simple metal structure. The walls are a forest of poles that ensures the stability of the work. The second one, gathering the curved galleries, is composed of metallic elements covered with an ETFE membrane thus bringing an ideal diffuse lighting for art exhibitions. The galleries are only partially leaning on the ground and are articulated on a structure that is embedded at the center of the spiral.
In order to appreciate all the exhibitions, the visitor will have to go through every single gallery, always leading back to the “tolerance” space. We want this project to be sensed as an experience within which each community aspires to «a life together».
