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Museum Designer-Designed Birdhouse | |||
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Richard Gluckman | ||||||||||||||||||||
Richard Gluckman has been principal of his architectural firm in New York since 1977.The office has designed a wide range of institutional, commercial, and residential projects throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. A major component of the firm's work has grown out of an exchange with artists, curators, and museum directors. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The concept and design of BIRDHOUSE is derived from a real project; the STUDIO commissioned for the ACADIA SUMMER ARTS PROGRAM. The STUDIO is a self contained structure for the use of an artist for up to one month. The STUDIO contains a small bathroom and kitchen but is primarily designed for the artist to have a place to work in a unique and beautiful environment. The ACADIA SUMMER ARTS PROGRAM provides living and working spaces for artists, architects, writers, composers, and others for periods ranging from one week to one month. The founder of the program, Marion Stroud, invites artists to participate in this program on Mt. Desert Island, off the coast of Maine. I was asked to design the STUDIO in a specific location on the southwest side of the island, on the property of the oldest farmhouse on the island (from the early 18th C.) oriented to Western Mountain.The form of the structure is a direct response to two parameters. One, the orientation to Western Mountain and the sun diagram for that latitude. Two, the use of the wall space by the artist. There are two 'L' shaped wall arrays, one array is 8' high, made of wood studs and plywood intended to hold tools pin up sketches. The other is two walls at right angles, 12' high, for the artwork, made with plasterboard over plywood.The pitch of the roof runs diagonally from the low southwest corner, the Åehot corner' with regard to the sun diagram, up to the Åecool' northeast corner. The plastic clerestory wedges rotate around the building to let light in to the space. The shaded porch on the east side is oriented to the distant mountain.This building is conceived as an incubator for the artist's thoughts just as a BIRDHOUSE is a literal incubator for the hatchlings.The BIRDHOUSE was conceived upon a request by an arts institution for a benefit to raise money. Initially, three BIRDHOUSES were made. One was sent to the arts institution to be auctioned off. (it was purchased by an art dealer). One was sent to Marion Stroud in appreciation of her efforts on behalf of artists. I installed the third one on my property in Orient, New York. This past year, for the first time, a wood thrush made a nest that completely filled the BIRDHOUSE, and hatched it's young. The forth is sent to the BIRDHOUSE PROJECT in Osaka, Japan and include here.The BIRDHOUSES are made out of aluminum plate over marine plywood. They are built by Radii, Inc. of Jersey City, NJ.The relationship of the STUDIO, a real building to provide a workspace for artists to the ASAP BIRDHOUSE, a smaller scale model to benefit an arts institution to the BIRDHOUSE PROJECT in Osaka, Japan to emphasize the idea that Åethe world is our nest' seems to me to be logical way to connect different scales, different purposes, and different cultures with one idea.The idea of scale is very important to me. That is, the relationship of the object or framed space to real dimensions relating to our own body. This is important whether designing an object to be held in the hand or to a structure to be inhabited. The direct relationship to the human figure is critical to the success of the design object. Of course, in this case, the scale of the bird determines the dimension of its house. That is why this project is interesting to me. It has metaphorical implications of shelter, freedom, and our relationship to nature but, significantly, it has real implications of usefulness. If a bird nests in it, it is successful. If we it's a useful object, It is successful. If it contributes to a better understanding of our way in the world, it is successful.We are very pleased to participate in an extended process and series of projects that act as sheltering, nurturing, and inspirational ideas in an increasingly difficult and threatening world. THE NEXT GENERATION We live in an increasingly dangerous and complicated world. The environmentalist movement in the 1960's came up with the phrase 'ethink globally and act locally'. This is even more appropriate today.We must act responsibly as designers to use our resources wisely. We must work conscientiously to fulfill our obligations to our clients and to the public. We must work in a collaborative way with our colleagues to produce 'not just the new, but the necessary'. We must fulfill our individual aspirations with dedication and rigor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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