The Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion | Toshiko Mori Architect

The Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion è il nuovo centro visitatori del complesso residenziale Darwin D. Martin House progettato da Frank Lloyd Wright nel 1903.Il padiglione, composto da spazi di orientamento, gallerie espositive e aree a sostegno del visitatore, è gestito dalla Martin House Restoration Corporation (MHRC) come parte integrante della storica casa-museo.
Il Greatbatch Pavilion è ubicato nel ricco contesto storico del complesso Martin House, composto da cinque edifici Wrightiani in stile prateria, all'interno del quartiere storico di Parkside East e sul sito pianificato dal famoso architetto americano Frederick Law Olmsted.

Piuttosto che emulare l’esistente, il progetto di Toshiko Mori Architect si propone in contrasto al contesto. TMA espande le idee wrightiane di armonia con la natura, con questo padiglione, in vetro trasparente, integrato con il paesaggio. L'edificio reinterpreta la composizione, la struttura e i materiali utilizzati da Wright per Casa Martin facendo riferimento alle sue proporzioni e geometrie, ma utilizzando il principio del contrasto per richiamare l'attenzione sul capolavoro wrightiano.

Il tetto rovescio del Padiglione è un riferimento alla costruzione di Wright e riflette il carattere pubblico dell’edificio, mentre la facciata in vetro permette la vista ininterrotta della Martin House, contrastando con la natura introversa del progetto wrightiano.
Il pattern ritmico delle finestre della Martin House si ripete nel dimensioni dei pannelli in vetro del Padiglione, mentre il profilo dei mattoni si riflette nella forma delle pareti in calcestruzzo scanalato del padiglione. La facciata del padiglione è composta da una tripla vetrata trasparente ad alte prestazioni che consente l'isolamento termico, massimizzando l’ingresso della luce solare. La struttura dell’edificio sembra galleggiare: un ampio tetto poggia su quattro pilastri in acciaio inossidabile.

Toshiko Mori Architect (TMA), will serve as a visitor center for the Darwin D. Martin House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1903‐5 residential complex in Buffalo, NY. Providing orientation space, exhibition galleries and visitor support spaces, the Pavilion will be operated by the Martin House Restoration Corporation (MHRC) as part of the historic house museum at the site. The Pavilion is set within the historically rich context of the Martin House compound, comprised of five Wright prairie style buildings located within the Parkside East Historic District and with site planning by renowned American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. TMA’s design responds to its context through contrast rather than imitation. The Pavilion reinterprets the Martin House to explain the structural, infrastructural, and programmatic relationships of the historic building, while continuing Wright’s lifelong interest in innovation through the exploration of materials, technologies, and techniques. The inverted hip roof of the Pavilion both references the form of Wright’s building and reflects the public nature of the building’s program, while the glass façade of the Pavilion allows uninterrupted viewing of the Martin House and contrasts with the introversion of Wright’s design. This bold new project revives the spirit of great architectural commissions in Buffalo that characterized the era in which Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Martin House.

Architectural Features: Two buildings bracket a century of modern architecture: TMA’s design extends and revitalizes the architectural movement launched by Wright 100 years ago, as it brings a 21st century sensibility to Wright’s principle of “organic architecture.” TMA expands on Wright’s ideas about harmony with nature with a transparent glass pavilion that is integrated with the landscape. The building design reinterprets the composition, structure and materials that Wright used in the Martin House by referring to their proportions and geometries, but uses the principle of contrast to draw attention to Wright’s masterpiece. Where Wright used a series of hovering hip roofs with powerful cantilevers to shelter the family within, the Pavilion’s inverted hip roof echoes the Martin House’s proportions in a dramatic, upturned gesture of welcome to the public. The Pavilion’s design translates the clusters of interior piers of the Martin House into a single cluster of four piers that support the impressive pavilion roof. The rhythmic pattern of the Martin House pergola windows are repeated in the Pavilion’s glass panel dimensions. The profile of the custom made bricks of the Martin House is reflected in the shape of the fluted concrete walls of the Pavilion. Instead of Wright’s opaque brickwork and diffusely‐lit interior, TMA creates a glass enclosure awash in daylight. Following in Wright’s legacy in innovation and use of progressive technology, the pavilion’s façade is made of transparent triple glazed high performance glass that provides thermal insulation while maximizing daylight. The structure of the building appears to float, with an expansive roof resting on the four main piers. Along the perimeter are CNC milled solid stainless steel columns.

Climate Control Features: Integrated systems complement the architecture with sustainable features. Building on the conceptual design of Transsolar Energietechnik, Landmark Facilities Group designed an interior climate control system in harmony with the building architecture. The air delivery system uses geothermal heat exchange for heating and cooling the building and is discreetly concealed in the building, acoustically insulating it. A radiant cooling and heating system in the floor slab balances seasonal thermal fluctuations and provides occupant comfort. The strategy of displacement ventilation provides airflow through natural convection, allowing for a more energy efficient system. The resulting system is a true expression of organically integrated architecture and technology.

Landscape Design: The Pavilion’s landscape is designed to mediate between the restored gardens of the Martin House complex and the elegant modern vocabulary of TMA’s glass‐walled pavilion. The paved exterior courtyard, canopied by a grid of Honey Locust trees, serves as a gathering space and an orientation area where visitors meet before proceeding onto the Martin House Property. The plaza is placed 18” below the level of the Martin House gardens, maintaining the historic topographic relationship between the properties. Along the path which leads visitors from Jewett Parkway to the Pavilion will be a low wood wall clad in wisteria vines that echoes a favorite Wright motif for the complex.

Visitor Experience: The Pavilion will be the main entry point for visitors arriving at the Martin House complex where they will check in at admissions and meet a docent to commence a tour of the historic site. This experience will feature an animated presentation on a transparent projection wall. In addition, interpretive exhibitions, intended to enhance the tour experience at the Martin House complex, will provide visitors with information related to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural principles and to Darwin D. Martin’s Patronage of the great architect.

Naming Gift: The building is named the Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch
Pavilion to honor Wilson Greatbatch for his important contribution to medical science in 1958 of the implantable pacemaker and for his wife, Eleanor who provided steadfast support to her husband.

Consultants:
Structural Engineer: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP Chicago, Illinois
Mechanical, Electrical, Landmark Facilities Group, Inc
Plumbing, Fire Protection Norwalk, Connecticut
Engineer: Columbus, Ohio
Façade Consultant: Front Inc. New York, New York
Landscape Architect: Quennell Rothschild & Partners, LLP New York, New York
Civil Engineer: Watts Architecture and Engineering, P.C. Buffalo, New York
Lighting Consultant: Arup Lighting New York, New York
Environmental Transsolar Energietechnik GMBH
Consultant: Stuttgart, Germany Specifications Consultant: Donald Baerman, AIA, Architect, LLC North Haven, Connecticut
Graphic Designers: 2x4 New York, New York
Construction Manager: LPCiminelli Buffalo, New York