MoccA - museum of comic art and cartoon | new york | 2010

Comic art and Cartoon are one unique way of expressing ideas that cannot be achieved by  any other means of communication. Even though the written word is essential, the drawing is the  fastest tool for spreading a concept. The image is the element that doesn't need a previous comprehension of a symbol. The cartoon is the symbol itself.
To exibhit a Comic Art collection one must have a support, and for that support the book plays a major role. Generating the building as a group of books laying down in the streets of Manhattan embraces the task of displaying, sharing and enriching cartoon and comic art.

The proposed MoCCa building will be made of the intersection of several books who will merge into a shape that intends to question the user, pursuing the goal of using a rhythm to create a façade.

Taking advantage of the southeast sunlight the MoCCa main entrance will be in the junction between Norfolk and Delaunay streets thus creating a small covered public space where ephemerous exhibitions and events can take place. The main elevations are slightly unaligned to the street grid in order to give space for a small group of trees that will filter the light inside the building.

The west elevation is attached to an existing façade and the in the south, facing the parking lot , there is a blind façade ready to be covered by another building in the future.
Due to the height of the buildings around and because it will be seen from almost every window around the roof plan was treated as the fifth elevation.

On the ground floor we can find the reception/ admission area, the lecture hall, the theatre and a café that can be used as a foyer. These areas are of public access and are connected to the other floors by an emergency stair, two public lifts and a freight elevator that is served by a service entrance with access through the parking lot.
On the first floor, with a direct acess to the the public are the flexible galleries. The library, the two conference rooms and the three classrooms are located on the second floor as this is a more restricted space where the activities will be schedule or super-visioned. The archive area spams from the second to the third floor where only the service personnel is admitted and where is located the IT computer lab, the staff offices, and the staff break room facing east. All the floors are served by support areas and toilets.

The structural materials are steel and casted concrete structure in waffle slabs and the exterior materials are rough pigmented casted concrete, orange glass in steel frames, and black polished marble.
The total gross area is 48 437 sf. more or less 12 109 sf. per floor.