Greatbatch Pavilion Takes Shape

Photos courtesy of Bernhard Wagner, fotoGrafix

That amazing structure emerging from the western side of the Martin House site is the Toshiko Mori-designed Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion, visitor center for the Martin House complex. Slated for substantial completion by the end of 2008, the building is well under way, with foundations, structural steel and dramatically cantilevered roof already in place. Contractors are currently preparing to install large, triple-glazed sections of the building's curtain wall to complete the enclosure. When complete, the pavilion will form a platform for sweeping, horizontal views of the Martin House complex, and a multi-use space for visitor reception, orientation and special programming.

The powerful structure of the building is already evident, demonstrating Mori's great sensitivity to the tenets of Wright's Prairie designs: prominent, sheltering roofs, cantilevers that visually gather outdoor space into the composition, dematerialized walls that foster a connection between site and enclosure, and an open interior plan that promotes a profound freedom of movement and interaction within the building.

Toshiko Mori will speak on "The Integration of Architecture and Engineering in the Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion," in a panel discussion with three of the project's engineering consultants - Dmitri Jajich of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Paul Kreitler of Landmark Facilities Group, and Bruce Nichol of Front, Inc. - at the Albright Knox Art Gallery Auditorium, Wednesday, October 22, 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:45. The event is co-sponsored by the UB School of Architecture and Planning. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Call the MHRC at (716) 856-3858 for more information.