February 12 - May 1, 2006
On-Site:
New Architecture in Spain, with work by Rem Koolhaas / OMA at
The Museum of Modern Art in New York
About the exhibition:
This exhibition documents the most recent architectural developments
in a country that has become known in recent years as an international
center for design innovation and excellence. The exhibition
features thirty-five significant architectural projects that
are currently in design or under construction. These works are
considered in relation to an additional eighteen projects, each
of which are a major architectural accomplishment completed
in Spain within the last few years. The projects presented will
reflect the geographic and generational diversity of the current
wave of new projects and their architects, as well as a wide
range of scales—from a single private house to a new international
airport. The exhibition will not only reflect the accomplishments
of Spanish architects, but also the contributions of professionals
from elsewhere.
About
the Cordoba Congress Center by Rem Koolhaas / OMA
In 2002 OMA won the competition to design a new congress center
located on the Miraflores Peninsula, facing the historic city
center of Cordoba, Spain. Wishing to improve on the possibilities
of the original building site, OMA proposed a new and unexpected
location on the peninsula. Taking full advantage of the urban
qualities of the Miraflores Peninsula, the new Cordoba Congress
Center (CCC) is positioned on a narrow East-West strip. A floating
beam, the Center acts as a buffer between the Miraflores andthe
planned Fluvial Park, and organises the now disparate elements
of the Miraflores Peninsula, the river, and historic center
(UNESCO World Heritage Site) into a coherent urban grouping,
extending the benefits of Cordoba’s old town to the rest
of the city.
The continuous
open-air promenade - located at the mid-section, running the
full length of the building - establishes the congress center
as a linear viewing platform, looking out over the park, the
river, and the historic center beyond. Views on the Mesquita
in the old town center will be impressive from the roof terrace,
which accommodates a swimming pool and a pebble garden.
The building
functions as a programmatic beam - hollowed out to accommodate
public facilities; separated to accommodate auditoria; re-converging
to define the hotel lobby; sliced to allow the San Fernando
route to continue through from the old city, and suddenly cantilevering
to mark the formal entrance to the Congress Center. Bridging
the east and west banks of the river along its length, the building
establishes a route, moving visitors in and out of the city’s
historic center. A series of ramps, escalators, and stairs channel
the public seamlessly through the building, absorbing all circulation
into a sequence of congress areas, conference halls, an outdoor
auditorium, café, hotel facilities, and shops. For the
façade, standard U-plank glass has been modified into
a green, bubbled material breaking the sharp southern sunlight
to provide the interiors with a more diffuse atmosphere.
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The exhibition
is organized by Terence Riley, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator
of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art.
The exhibition
is the fourth in a series of five exhibitions made possible
by The Lily Auchincloss Fund for Contemporary Architecture and
is also made possible by a generous grant from Enerfin Enervento,
SA.
Major support
is provided by PromoMadrid S.A., Madrid Regional Ministry of
Economy and Technological Innovation.
Additional
funding is provided by Arcelor, by the New York State Council
on the Arts, a State Agency, by MPG [Media Planning Group],
by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art,
and by The Consulate General of The Netherlands in New York.
The accompanying
publication is made possible by Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown.
Contact:
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019-5497
Tel.: 212- 708-9400
pressoffice@moma.org
www.moma.org
