This assignment asks you to do a comparative study of the recent additions to area museums. Please compare the recent addition to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts by Foster and Partners (2010) with the addition to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by Renzo Piano (2012). you should craft a paper based on your first-hand observations and original insights. Your paper should have a clearly defined thesis statement that is informed by the assigned readings but is supported by visual analysis, rather than research.
Please visit the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, paying particular attention to the new American Wing designed by Foster and Partners.
Analyze the addition in terms of the following considerations: program, site, plan, structure, materials, enclosure, entrances, organization of spaces and functions, and circulation. Then please visit Renzo Piano’s additions to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (2012)
Questions to keep in mind as you think about the two buildings you select:
How does each architect resolve the challenge of relating new construction to an existing building? How and to what extent does each addition engage with its context?
What kinds of spaces and functions are given primary attention?
What role do new technologies and materials play in these additions?
Make sure that the focus of the paper is on original observations, emphasizing your own cogent analysis (rather than description) of the building complex. Your study analysis should have a clearly presented thesis statement or argument. Use the visual evidence you gather to support your thesis. Your paper should be 750 words (no more than 1000 words)