LAUREEN  CLAIRE  VIVIAN

Kaloidis Museum

Mystras, Laconia Sparta, Greece

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The private collection of Mr. & Mrs. Kaloidis. Paintings, sculpture, furniture and “objects ’d art” are to be housed in this gift to the people of Greece.  In proximity to the sacred Byzantine site of Mistras, the facades, both in vertical hierarchy and in the use of materials, speak the language of their revered neighbor.  Innovative use of such materials as hand wrought copper, onyx ’jewel-like’ punched windows and three meter high solid wood bi-folding entrance doors add beauty and drama through  new textures, use of scale and richly patins. The plan has a nine part plan and central glass circulation core, around which the collection revolves & reaches back to the fortress archetype and  applied here to the museums insular and independent siting and need for a closed and circular plan. The ground floor houses the galleries. The third floor contains the special collections exhibit hall, restoration department, offices, security center, meeting rooms and a visiting scholars wing.  A sunken rear garden and café accessible from the basement’s amphitheater provide a place of refreshment. A small family chapel, set apart in the landscape, completes the general scope of the museum.       Approx. 40,000 s/f            

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