Project by Ellie Nolan, I Lok U @ilok_u, ecnolan
Situated on the Olana estate, the proposed Berggruen Institute engages the Hudson Valley landscape as a think tank and research campus for artists and scholars. Defined by rolling hills, layered vistas, and atmospheric light, the site is both expansive and immersive.
Drawing from Frederic Church and the Hudson River School of Painting, the project is shaped by sensitivity to light, composition, and the reciprocal relationship between landscape and architecture. In Church’s work, architecture anchors the terrain while minimizing its visual presence, allowing sky and light to remain primary.
The project embeds itself within the hills, emerging through subtractions and protrusions from the earth. Its spatial sequence moves from elevated to embedded conditions, carving two primary voids into the terrain before projecting outward again. These courtyards draw natural light into the galleries, while elevated residences, studios, and offices frame valley views. The project mediates between earth and sky, presence and absence.
