The representation of the portable museum. A competition for an iconic container

Abstract

The idea of a transportable architecture has been present throughout history. Different architects have experimented with this concept, managing to materialize it in typologies such as the pavilion at international exhibitions. Along the same lines, the museum, as a typology that seeks to get closer to the masses, has found a useful variant in the portable building. If temporary exhibitions acquire their value in their constant contact with the public, the idea of bringing the exhibition together with the architecture becomes relevant. Thus, this paper analyses the paradigmatic experience of the Guggenheim Foundation, a leading museum institution in the competition for a temporary museum in Tokyo. Through the analysis of the proposals of Ban, Nouvel, and Hadid, it will be observed how architects use the full force of their representational styles whilst facing a typological innovation, aiming to appeal and to communicate the original architectural content that will be the main object of the exhibition.

Keywords

• arquitectura efímera
• arquitectura transportable
• guggenheim
• museos