GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

DECONSTRUCTIVISM
• Deconstructivism is a movement of postmodern architecture which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the
impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence
of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry.[1] Its name is a portmanteau of Constructivism and "
Deconstruction", a form of semiotic analysis developed by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida.
Architects whose work is often described as deconstructivist (though in many cases the architects
themselves reject the label) include Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas
• Deconstructivism is characterized by the use of fragmentation, manipulation of ideas of a
structure’s surface or skin, redefinition of shapes and forms, and radical manifestation of
complexity in a building.

DECONSTRUCTIVISM
• Focusing more on the freedom of form, rather than functional concerns, Deconstructivist architecture
aims to perplex the visitor, making the stay in their space an experience worth remembering, and the
interior is as much as mesmerizing as the exterior in most cases, even more wondrous in some.

• Defining stylistic feature include:

Unrelated forms.

Abstract nature.

Smooth exterior surfaces.

Contrast of shapes and forms.

Large expanses of a single material (glass, metals, masonry, etc.).

Window frames often hidden in the walls.

Simple metal frame doors.

Exposed materials.

•
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

• Location : Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

• Inaugurated on 18 October 1997

• Architect : Frank Gehry (Canadian-American architect)

• Architectural style : Modern and contemporary

• Site area : 32,500-square-meter (350,000 sq ft) site along the Nervión River

• Built up area : 11,000 m2 (120,000 sq ft) are dedicated to exhibition space

•
HISTORY

• In 1991, the Basque government suggested to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation that it
would fund a Guggenheim museum to be built in Bilbao's decrepit port area, once the city's
main source of income.

• The museum was built by Ferrovial at a cost of US$89 million.

• On 18 October 1997 the museum was opened by Juan Carlos I of Spain.

• In 2008, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao announced that it was looking into building a
5,000 m2 (53,800 sq ft) expansion in Urdaibai, an estuary to the east of Bilbao.
ARCHITECTURE