KIMBELL ART MUSEUM - LOUIS KAHN

Forth Worth, Texas - 1972

| THE UNPROGRAMMED | Gijs Loomans

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 INTRODUCTION Researchdefinition 1
The Kimbell Art Museum is built in a park environment together with other Every space beside the utilitarian surfaces is unprogrammed: voids,
prominent museums. This Museum is built for the private art collection attics, circulation space, shafts, splits, structure material.
of the Kimbell family. Louis Kahn has made the design and the opening
of the museum was in 1972. Kahn was influenced by the Romanesque
architecture of the Renaissance. So here he used long tunnel vaults and
integrated the golden section and proportions which are repeated in
the building design. The plan of the building is symmetric. The museum
consists of three series of tunnel vaults. The two outer rows consist of
Researchdefinition 2
six vaults and the middle row consists of four vaults. Each vault has Every space that can be erased, without affecting the original program
KIMBELL ART MUSEUM - LOUIS KAHN

a size of 7x30 meters. Since the middle row is located back from the or function from functioning, is unprogrammed.
front elevation, it creates a courtyard garden. From this garden is the
main entrance to the building. The building can be accessed from the
adjoining paths / roads. At the rear of the building at basement level is
a parking space, with a additional access to the building that leads to
the lobby area.
The Kimbell Art Museum is a large and spacious building. The main TIMELINE
function of the building is an art museum. The ground floor includes
a large entrance hall, a library, a bookshop, a kitchen, an auditorium 1966 Mr. and Mrs. Kimbell give Louis I. Kahn the assignment to
and several art galleries. In the basement a small portion is divided
Forth Worth, Texas - 1972

design a museum for their private art collection.

separated as a gallery and additionally mainly practical areas for the 1967 Kahn started with his design for the museum.
museum, such as some workshops, an import and export area with
storage rooms, several offices, technical rooms and toilets.
An important element in this building is the use of natural light. The 1968 Kahn finished his final design in September.
sunlight enters through skylights over the entire length of the tunnel
vault, and through openings in the end walls. This creates a large beam 1972 The imposing structure opened four years later,
diffused light which gives the room a special light effect. in October, 1972.
Building/refurbishment/demolishing
User/function/equipped

photos by www.flickr.com
photos by www.flickr.com
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 ORIGINAL DRAWING GROUND FLOOR ORIGINAL DRAWING - GROUND FLOOR

PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED

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 ORIGINAL DRAWING - BASEMENT ORIGINAL DRAWING - BASEMENT

PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED

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 ORIGINAL DRAWING - SECTIONS ORIGINAL DRAWING - SECTIONS

+6000 +6000

+3700 +3700
+2900 +2900

0 0

-3800 -3800

SECTION A SECTION A

01 5 10 20 01 5 10 20

+6000 +6000

+3700 +3700

0 0

-3800 -3800

SECTION B SECTION B

01 5 10 20 01 5 10 20

PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED

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 ANALYSIS Fill-in exercise
The Kimbell Art Museum roughly consists of two parts. The ground floor is mainly The most striking difference between the two definitions in the unprogrammed In the fill-in exercise of all unprogrammed space in the Kimbell Art Museum, The Grand Cafe is centrally located in the building. The former courtyard is
publicly accessible and thus serves as a museum. This part of the building is also space is determined by the circulation areas. On the ground floor there is a I chose to grant multiple functions to the building. The building consists of transformed into a large terrace. In the middle of the Grand Cafe is a bar
the most recognizable by the design details that Louis Kahn has made in applying little difference, because most of the ground floor serves as exhibition space. four main functions. The distribution is made by means of the three rows of and are the dining tables. Also, there are pool tables, and in the middle of
the vault-like spaces. In the basement are the workshops for the museum and In the exhibition spaces there are no specific circulation areas to define, vaults and the basement underneath. In the most northern row of vaults is a the room is a piano. The former library and bookstore of the Kimbell Museum
these are not accessible to the public. At the entrance on basement level from because the whole space can be used to view at art works. Hence we public library. The most southern row of vaults is a fitness/wellness center. The are now changed to kitchen, toilet rooms and cooling storages. The staircase
the parking lot is a part that is extra decorated and can be expanded as an have chosen to consider the complete exhibition spaces as programmed. middle section is a Grand Cafe/restaurant, where a portion of the former that goes up in the kitchen leads to an office for the benefit of the Grand
exhibition hall. Furthermore, this basement consists only of practical spaces for In definition 1 some parts of the building space is partially divided as courtyard serves as a terrace. In the basement is largely made a parking lot Cafe. Now there is also a staircase made to the basement. This staircase
the museum. programmed and unprogrammed space. For example, the auditorium has which serves the three functions on the ground floor. leads to the storage and distribution rooms for the Grand Cafe.
I have analyzed the Kimbell Art Museum from the two chosen definitions for (un) an unprogrammed part where the space is used as staircase. This part of the The three open porticos on the ground floor are involved in the building, so The fitness and wellness center is accessible from the restaurant or parking lot
programmed space. It is striking that the three porticos outside, the entrance auditorium is in fact not the functional use of an auditorium, but only servers the building envelope is increased. The library, restaurant and wellness center in the basement. After coming inside, the visitor first past the changing rooms,
hall, and the niche at the entrance from the parking lot are all unprogrammed as circulation space. The entrance from the basement has also partly an thereby became bigger. In the basement, the open niche involved to the restrooms and lockers. In the pool area is one large pool, several jacuzzis and
space in both definitions. These are all enormous spaces which are all about unprogrammed hatch, because this area serves as access to the museum storage and distribution space for the benefit of the restaurant. in the existing patio are hot tubs. In the middle of the pool area there are
the same size and have no specific programmed function. In addition also the and therefore it’s also circulation space. Most circulation areas in definition The building is also in his new function accessible through two entrances. several sun beds. The fitness area is a large room where all its fitness equipment
four stairwells which serve as escape routes are appointed in both definitions 1 which are marked as unprogrammed, are marked as programmed in The Grand Cafe serves as a central place for the building and is therefore are installed. There is one extra space that can be used for group lessons.
as unprogrammed space. The workshop in the basement contains a portion of definition 2. The biggest difference between the two definitions comes forth accessible from the terrace. The parking in the basement offers another The stairs down to the basement leads to the saunas and massage rooms.
the space with different height compared to the rest of the room. The height from the use of circulation spaces, if its programmed or unprogrammed. In entrance. The central stairs in building leads as an entrance from the parking In the basement there is also a space created for physical therapy with an
in this area is extended to the ceiling height of the vaults on the ground floor. definition 2 all programmed spaces are defined as spaces which servers to lot to the other functions in the building. related office. The high space in the museum belonged to the workshop is
This creates the voids in the ground floor. This high space is divided into an al functional spaces, therefore there are a lot of circulation spaces which The library on the ground floor is filled as much as possible with bookshelves. now used as a climbing wall. Thus, there are indoor and outdoor climbing. The
indoor and outdoor area. The outdoor area is allocated in both definitions as administer to the programmed space. For example, the central stairs from There are additional multi-functional rooms for meetings, presentations or associated office also serves as storage for materials. The remaining rooms
unprogrammed space, because the space itself has no functional use. Except the basement to the entrance hall are important circulation routes that the like. The existing freight elevator is maintained, so it can be used for the appearing in the basement are mainly storage and technical rooms.
that it brings daylight into the workplace. serve as an entrance to the museum. Thus, there are indeed circulation library. In the original Kimbell Art Museum, Louis Kahn added an additional
For the entrance of the museum is a courtyard garden. This courtyard garden areas needed in order to reach an functional area, and therefore they are floor above the library. Here he created a space for the library as a reading
is enclosed on three sides by the museum itself. The outdoor garden is mainly considered to be programmed in this definition. room. This principle I want to use also in the public library in the fill-in exercise.
located inside the building design so we could consider this area to be a part The floor plan shows that similar staircases are placed in the library, leading
of the museum. If we then look at the function of the courtyard garden, it serves to the upper reading rooms. In this way there is created an extra floor which
primarily as a recreation area for visitors, or a place where people sit quietly and serves for extra space in the vaults. Under the stairs are small rooms for
waiting outside or something. From this we conclude that the courtyard garden photocopying facilities. Furthermore, the library is equipped with toilets, a
has no specific function to accomplish in this space with a particular goal. This reception, information desk and a staff room. In the basement is a storage
can also be considered as unprogrammed in both definitions. and distribution space for the library.

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 FILL-IN EXERCISE - GROUND FLOOR FILL-IN EXERCISE - GROUND FLOOR

C D E C D E

toilet toilet toilet toilet

D E D E

PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED

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 FILL-IN EXERCISE - BASEMENT FILL-IN EXERCISE - BASEMENT

PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED

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 FILL-IN EXERCISE - SECTIONS FILL-IN EXERCISE - SECTONS
+6000 +6000

+3700 +3700
+2900 +2900

0 0

-3800 -3800

SECTION C SECTION C

01 5 10 20 01 5 10 20

+6000 +6000

+3700 +3700
+2900 +2900

0 0

-3800 -3800

SECTION D SECTION D

01 5 10 20 01 5 10 20
+6000 +6000

+3700 +3700

0 0

-3800 -3800

SECTION E SECTION E

01 5 10 20 01 5 10 20

PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED PROGRAMMED UNPROGRAMMED

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 Original layout definition 1 Original layout definition 2 Filled-in layout definition 1 Filled-in layout definition 2
unprogrammed 2260 unprogrammed 1590 unprogrammed 2900 unprogrammed 85
unprogrammed 2260 unprogrammed 1590 unprogrammed 2900 unprogrammed 85
programmed 4880 programmed
programmed
4880
5550 programmed
programmed
5550
6660
programmed 6660
programmedprogrammed 9475 9475
unknown 700 unknown unknown
700 700 unknown unknown
700 0
unknown 0 unknown unknown 0 0
Total 7840 Total DEFINITION 1, ORIGINAL
Total
7840 7840 Total dEFINITION
Total
7840 1 - FILL-IN
9560 EXERCISE 9560
Total Total Total 9560 9560
CONCLUSION GROSS-NET RATIO
With programmed I mean that something is designed to fulfill a specific ORIGINAL LAYOUT Programmed Programmed
purpose within the premeditated function. So the vaults meet this concept The original Kimbell Art Museum consists of about 7840 square meters. The space: space:
in case of art galleries. At the library, entrance hall, kitchen or bookstore this building consists mainly of spaces that serve as an art gallery. There are
vault-shaped space is not designed effectively to the function of the library,
entrance hall or the like. So this high vault-shaped space is not necessarily
some areas with oversized vault shaped roofs, where it was not necessarily
needed. There are a lot of useless outdoor spaces attached to the museum.
62% 70%
applied. This form of unnecessary space is definable as unprogrammed. The
function of the relevant area has so much to do with the definition if the NEW LAYOUT
space is programmed or unprogrammed. Height can also be functionally / The fill-in exercise mainly filled the useless spaces. The total floor area is
programmed designed. increased by adding new floors in the vault-shaped roofs which provide Area:7840m²
In the analyses also became clear that the circulation space are differently more spaces. There are also large outdoor areas involved in the building, so Area: 9560m²
interpreted as (un)programmed space. I consider some circulation spaces they can function within the function of the new building program. The total Growth: 22%
are actually programmed, because they are often part of a function floor area is now 9560 square meters and increased 22%.
and therefore have a particular purpose. The art gallery is also one large
circulation space, but is also be used for looking at art works simultaneously.
In this way, it is therefore both important in the program. The entrance hall on
the other hand is a welcome area that is completely empty. This area is just an Original layout definition 1 Original
Original layout definition
layout definition 1 2 Filled-in
Original layout definition
layout definition 2 1 Filled-in layout definition 1 Filled-in layout definition 2Filled-in layout definition 2
meeting area or a waiting area, not a specific function. This area is a central
unprogrammed 2260 unprogrammed2260
unprogrammed 1590 unprogrammed1590
unprogrammed 2900 unprogrammed 2900 unprogrammed 85
unprogrammed 85
place where many people walk through it, but in this case, this space could programmed
programmed 4880 programmed 4880 5550 programmed
programmed 5550 6660 programmed 6660 programmed programmed
9475 9475
easily be much smaller. Therefore, I find this sort of spaces unprogrammed. unknown 700 unknown 700 unknown 0 unknown 0
unknown 700 unknown 700 unknown 0 unknown 0
Total 7840
Total
Total
7840
7840
DEFINITION 2,
Total
Total
ORIGINAL
7840
9560
Total 9560 dEFINITION 2
Total
- FILL-IN
TotalEXERCISE
9560
9560

Programmed Programmed
space: space:

71% 99%

Area: 7840m²

Area: 9560m²
Growth: 22%

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 ESSAY

(Un)Programmed space. This concept can be defined in several ways. When an oversized height in a building is designed without a specific function
When analyzing the Kimbell Art Museum, I therefore had to make several or purpose, my opinion notes this as useless space, so unprogrammed. That’s
considerations in order to determine what is, or is not programmed space. actually the same as we discovered in the analyses about surfaces. If there is
In these analyses we only assumed surfaces. In many buildings, height, of a certain area without any purpose, we call this unprogrammed. It does not
course, also plays an important role in the experience of the space. Think for had to be there to fulfill any particular goal. That’s why I think programmed
example of churches or theaters with huge high ceilings which are made for space cannot only be defined on surfaces, but also with the height or space.
acoustic reasons/purposes. In the Kimbell Art Museum, there is made use of There will always be some exceptions, but nonetheless the definition if it’s
special vault-shaped roofs in order to bring daylight within the building on programmed or not, it have to be declared with a kind of reason why its so.
a special way. These roofs create a special space on the ground floor, but The school of architecture in Nantes for instance uses many oversized spaces.
also have a decent height of about 6 meters. When these spaces have no Those spaces were designed for future reasons to expand the school. At the
function, it would spontaneously creates enormous empty spaces. In the art time these big spaces were designed, and they still are, they had no function.
gallery, the vaults provide a special indirect daylight that is essential to the Therefore I define this as unprogrammed space because they could have
works of art in the art gallery. been kept away from the program.
What can be inferred is that the high vault-shaped space at the art Museums many times use enormous rooms for galleries. Also the Kimbell Art
galleries are therefore primarily functional, and so we could interpret this as Museum uses the high vault-shaped spaces. These spaces in museums are
programmed. On the other side we could look at similar projects like the mostly designed to fulfill a purpose to let the artworks be seen by the public.
Kimbell Art Museum, to compare the use of high spaces, the function as People want to walk around works of art. Stand in front of them, walk away
museum or the use of vault-shaped spaces. Buildings like the Pantheon or from them, see it from above. That’s why museum spaces mostly are very big.
the Mezquita in Cordoba were used for religious reasons. Nowadays these It also could be for lighting reasons. The works of art have high demands for
kind of architecture is mostly monumental, and therefore used as a tourist incoming light. Mostly daylight will therefore be used on special ways in these
attraction. As I mentioned, these kind of buildings used high spaces for museums.
acoustic or religious reasons. So the height was also programmed. As a tourist My conclusion to programmed space: programmed space is every space
attraction these high spaces or enormous domes like the Pantheon are just that is designed to fulfill a specific premeditated purpose within the function
so impressive that tourists want to experience this space and enjoy it. In this of the building.
case you still could consider this as a programmed empty space.

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