The Salvador Dali Museum in Tampa, Florida is a conspicuous and coltish art museum. The prosaic orthogonal concrete box juxtaposed with the restive and flamboyant swarm of glass geodesic reflecting the scenic waterfront pronounces the existence of more than 2000 pieces of eminent art works just as dynamic and versatile as the whirling glass “Enigma”. The design of this museum by HOK, is meant to delineate the nature of the Spanish surrealist artist’s work, as well as his personality, and it certainly has served the purpose of syncretize the spirits of Salvador Dali with the “jewel box” which houses the best of his works. The building, ordinary but eccentric, symbolizes Dali in his epoch—a mischievous and irrational being in a reality of rough turmoil. Like a ribbon hanging …show more content…
The edge clamping system allows for glass installation at different angles. 5 times stronger than conventional laminated materials, the Sentry Glass passed the “large missile test” simulating the impact of wind-driven debris in a hurricane. [11] Additionally, the Sentry Glass uses low-E glass which reflect long waved infrared energy to produce energy efficient building and create better thermal performance. [10] Inspired by Dali’s obsession with the DNA structure and the golden ratio, 56 ft high helical concrete staircase with seemingly no supporting structure connects the lobby with the 3rd floor’s storm-proofed galleries. Originally planned as a steel staircase since the HOK architects had no idea that it could be done in concrete, the staircase took immense design work and labor to complete. To prevent settlement and twist of the concrete, the engineers had to resurvey the staircase after each pour and stripping sequence to adjust for settlement and twist.