In designing its winning proposal for the Berggruen Institute, Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architecture firm, took advantage of the natural lay of the land. The institute was earmarked to be built on the spine of a mountain ridge, and so the firm designed a sprawling horizontal campus to allow for broad views of the LA landscape far below.
Herzog & de Meuron's proposal for the Berggruen Institute was inspired by monasteries. Traditionally, monasteries are built in isolated areas like mountaintops, so the institute's setting was ideal. Since monasteries serve as multipurpose sites for living, working, and studying, the Berggruen Institute accommodates just such a broad range of activities.
Thanks to the temperate Southern Californian climate, the design also offers plenty of outdoor spaces, including a large courtyard and a covered walkway.
Horizontal Mountainous Campuses
The Berggruen Institute Will Sit on a Mountain Ridge Outside LA
Trend Themes
1. Horizontal Campus Designs - Designing sprawling campuses that take advantage of natural landscapes to provide broad views of surroundings for an optimal experience.
2. Monastery-inspired Designs - Incorporating features used in traditional monasteries such as multipurpose sites for living, working, and studying in modern buildings.
3. Outdoor Space Optimization - Designing buildings that offer plenty of outdoor spaces like courtyards and covered walkways to encourage people to spend more time outside.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture and Design - Architecture and design firms can leverage natural landscapes and monastery-inspired designs to create unique and functional buildings for clients.
2. Education - Universities and educational institutions can optimize space on their campuses by adopting the horizontal campus design approach, offering more outdoor areas and combining living and learning areas into one.
3. Hospitality and Tourism - Hotels and resorts can entice customers by taking advantage of natural vistas and designing their premises with sprawling, horizontal layouts for optimal views of their surroundings.