Gallery Crit #1

Street View of Gallery

Gallery Interior

Our final project for my space studio class is a redesign of the Mina Dresden Gallery on Valencia in the Mission District.

Formal Crit. #1

Above is a picture from our first formal crit. It took me 15 minutes to pin everything up. Included (moving left to right) are site photographs, site analysis studies (looking at light, materiality, traffic patterns and the buildings connection to the outside), existing site model on the floor, source images for our concept models, collage (not pictured, below), concept models (floor right), concept model photographs, and finally concept diagrams. We developed these items in the order I just listed them.

Volume Collage

Materiality Collage

Light Collage

Now we are in the process of using our conceptual ideas and applying them to the specific space. Many interior designers use this process before each project! It's a lot of work, but I developed a lot of ideas I would not have thought of if I had started working just with the site. So far I've been working with the divider idea to create private spaces in the public area (the gallery). I'm working on applying this idea to the private area as well.

Early Divider Model
Using rigid divides

Later Division Model
Tension model look

Human View Inside with Tension Dividers

The images above are based on the divider idea using triangular pieces of fabric similar to tension structures. Mina can change the lighting intensity and color or project images onto them. This would allow for video installation work to be shown as well. The fabric will also help during loud gallery openings. The fabric would be adjustable via snaps inset into the floor and along the wooden beams on the wall to allow an unlimited number of set ups. The two vertical ones at the end of the hall divide the public (gallery) from the private (her apartment).

Tension Structure
copyright Pink Inc.

My three goals for the space are:
1. Make light more ample
2. Define public and private spaces more clearly
3. Allow adjustability to accommadate a variety of artists