Norman Foster & Buro Happold enclosed these two courtyards with glass:
The Great Court at the British Museum
in London UK (2000)
Kogod Courtyard at The National Portrait Museum
in Washington DC (2007)
Built 7 years apart, these projects show the way that Norman Foster’s elegant work has become even more refined. While is enclosure of the British museum is structurally spectacular- formally, it’s essentially a doughnut-shaped version of a classical dome, bearing heavily on the existing building.
At first glance, the Kogod Courtyard appears extremely similar to Foster’s earlier glass roof- but it is conceptually and aesthetically far superior. The new roof structure rests effortlessly on four slim columns, tapered at the connection point. This makes the roof look weightless and connected to the existing structure in an extremely refined way.
The laminated dynamic structure is extremely deep and therefore directional- from a distance, it appears solid. Inside, the structural members appear razor thin, leaving the interior extremely open to the sky. Incredibly detailed stone benches and a millimeter-deep reflecting pool (which you can walk straight through) make the courtyard come alive, and it is a popular public space throughout the year.
Images by Jonathan Choe
