3. Description
The Niteroi museum
of contemporary art is
a building located in
the city of Niteroi
witch is in Guanabara
Bay, opposite to Rio de
Janeiro city in Brazil. It
was designed by the
famous architect
Oscar Niemeyer with
the assistance of
structural engineer
Bruno Contarini .
4. One of the facts that make this building very
interesting is the area where it was
constructed; it stands on a narrow area by a
cliff and surrounded by the sea, so the natural
solution was a central support. At the time of
its construction its shape was considered very
revolutionary.
Another characteristic is the appearance of
lightness of the building; this is thanks to the
elements that surround it and a reflecting pool
at its base.
5. Spaces
The project consists of a
semi-underground
facility and an upper
body that consists of
three levels. An external
ramp leads visitors to
the first two floors of
the
museum, connecting
the public space with
the core that contains
the permanent
exhibition hall.
6. Ground floor
In addition to the store where works are saved, there is a bar, a
restaurant and an auditorium with capacity for 60 people.
First level
It contains the reception, a work room, a large lobby, administrative
offices and access to the large double height hexagonal
room, surrounded by a circular path with views of the bay through a
window surrounding the entire level.
Mezzanine
This is between the first and second level around the entire interior
of the museum. It is divided into smaller rooms, also for exhibitions.
Second level
On this floor there are five galleries.
7. Structure
Niemeyer designed a radial
structure 16m high, with a
deck of 50m in diameter and
an area of almost 2000 m2
which is based on a single
central cylinder support.
This complex structure that
appears to float in the air
was designed to withstand a
weight equivalent to 400 kg
/ m² and winds up to 200
km / hour.
8. Materials
5,500 tons of excavated material were removed and 3.2 million
cubic meters of concrete were consumed
Cover: The circular roof received heating and waterproofing
treatment.
Beams: The beams were built with prestressed concrete.
Floor: Concrete was used for the construction of the great
ramp, combined with the white side walls. The floors of the halls
were covered with blue carpet.
Crystals: The 70 triplex glass plates were manufactured exclusively
for the project. Each sheet of 18 mm thick is 4.80m high and
1.85m wide. Framed by steel bars and with an inclination of 40
degrees to the horizontal plane it can sustain a weight equivalent
to 20 people.
9. Lights: For the main
room, a lighting
technique involving
the environment
together with the
lighting from the
windows was used
The same applies to
the upper floor;
hidden indirect light
gently illuminates the
environment.
In total to illuminate
the main exhibition
halls were necessary
400 fluorescent lamps
and 200 dichroic
lamps.
10. Externally, the museum is illuminated by 34 aircraft
light bulbs, 1000 watts each and installed on or
under water at the base of the building, creating a
spatial pitch that emphasizes the lightness of the
main structure.
