Edward M. Kennedy Institute
invited competition, 2008
Deborah Berke & Partners Architects was invited, as one of four architects, to present ideas for the "Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate" to be built on the University of Massachusetts' Boston Campus. At once an archive for the Senator's papers, a visitor's center to celebrate the history of the United States Senate, and an institution of instruction in democracy, DBPA's building presents itself as a unity formed of disparate parts, much like the Senate is comprised of two individuals from each state in the Union.
The building acts like a lantern, both material and dissipative, with a richly-striated luminous cladding. This 'skin' allows the building to shine at night, literally like a lantern. The building also functions like a lantern -- in keeping with the age-old equation of light, perception, wisdom, and knowledge.
invited competition, 2008
Deborah Berke & Partners Architects was invited, as one of four architects, to present ideas for the "Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Senate" to be built on the University of Massachusetts' Boston Campus. At once an archive for the Senator's papers, a visitor's center to celebrate the history of the United States Senate, and an institution of instruction in democracy, DBPA's building presents itself as a unity formed of disparate parts, much like the Senate is comprised of two individuals from each state in the Union.
The building acts like a lantern, both material and dissipative, with a richly-striated luminous cladding. This 'skin' allows the building to shine at night, literally like a lantern. The building also functions like a lantern -- in keeping with the age-old equation of light, perception, wisdom, and knowledge.