Rietveld pavilion

This pavilion was inspired by the work of the influential Dutch designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964). It was modelled after the pavilion that he designed in 1955 for an open-air exposition in Arnhem. After being demolished, it was rebuilt in 1965 in the sculpture garden of the Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterloo, the Netherlands.

The original building has the simplicity and geometric qualities characteristic of "De Stijl" and "Nieuwe Zakelijkheid" architecture movements. Around a central space (12 by 12 meters) Rietveld arranged three corridor-like open galleries. The materials of the construction are clearly evident: concrete block brick, glass, and metal beams. Not only is the transition easy within the structure, but the open structure suggests a relationship between nature and the built environment. It's current location is within National Park "De Hooge Veluwe" and there it perfectly blends the surrounding forests with the half-open inner space. For some good photos, see http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/netherlands/amsterdam/krollermuller/rietveld.html

This Second Life building does not follow the original design exactly. Some simplifications were made and the design was made slightly more compact in order to fit on a 20x20 meter footprint. I originally designed this to be my shop, so I also extended the amount of wall-space, so that there is enough space to hang sales panels, vendors etc. By the way, the texture of the semi-open concrete bricks was photo-sourced from the actual building :-)

Visit my in-world shop to see it.

Prims: 25
Footprint: 20x20 meter

Tips for using

You have modify rights, so feel free to change or expand the building as you like.

All parts of the building are linked together into a single object. This makes it very easy to rez, move, rotate etc. No rez-faux or other rezzing system. However, if you plan to do some modifications, work might be easier if you unlink the building.

The building needs some open space around it to be fully appreciated. If it is squeezed in between an ad-farm and a castle, not much remains of it's blending with the environment. If you don't have sufficient open space, consider to use some large "privacy screens" around it, for instance with forest photos. You can also buy those screens at my shop (or contact me).

The lower concrete brick walls use a semi-transparant texture that you can "see through". However, there is a well-known problem with the Second Life viewer that sometimes causes semi-transparant textures to be displayed wrongly. Objects that are supposed to be behind the semi-transparant object are shown in front of it. If this happens often for you, then you may consider to make the brick walls fully opaque. I included the following textures for this:
- concrete bricks opaque - fully opaque texture that shows some green vegetation behind the holes
- concrete bricks open - the original semi-transparant texture
Just drop-and-drop the texture on the surface of the wall that you want to modify.

I recommend to place the building on grass. This enhances the blending of inner and outer space. But feel free to try something else!

For use as a shop, you may consider to make the building "Full Bright" (Texture tab), so that it will appear brightly lit during day and night.

About Gerrit Rietveld (taken from Wikipedia)

Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (June 24, 1888–June 26, 1964) was a Dutch furniture designer and architect.

In 1916, Rietveld started his own furniture factory, while studying architecture. Rietveld designed the Red and Blue Chair in 1917, but changed its colours to the familiar style in 1918 after he became influenced by the 'De Stijl' movement, of which he became a member in 1919, the same year in which he became an architect. In 1924 he designed the Rietveld Schröder House for Truus Schröder-Schräder, with whom he cooperated. The house, while guided by geometric forms, is asymmetrical. The house in Utrecht is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Rietveld broke with the 'De Stijl' movement in 1928 and switched to the Nieuwe Zakelijkheid. The same year he joined the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne.

He designed the "Zig-Zag" chair in 1932 and started the design of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Links:

http://www.centraalmuseum.nl/page.ocl?pageid=85&mode=&version=
http://www.modernfurnitureclassics.com/index.php/main_page/designers/designer_id/12
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Gerrit_Rietveld.html
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_Rietveld (in Dutch)