The Good Life

We should generally add to «old buildings» with a boldness of the best of our ancestors, leaving another layer for our successors to inherit. John Ruskin

Taking their cue from Ruskin, 51N4E, an award-winning office for architecture based in Brussels, have come up with a visionary plan and design. Although the Arnolfini building is situated on a strategic spot in the city it has lacked visibility. 51N4E have aimed to retain the façade’s historic character, while energising the site through the creation of a 21st century landmark building , and have designed an iconic tower for the Bristol skyline, stamped with Arnolfini’s seal of pioneering quality.

The 51N4E landmark building elevates modern design and living to a high art. It boasts unique amenities labeled The Good Life Collection. The Collection includes an English landscape garden, a monumental spa inspired by the Byzantine cisterns of Istanbul, and a first prints library. And let’s not forget the lobby. Its pristine white walls and double height ceiling give it the feel of a cutting edge art gallery.


The Good Life Event: Sat 11 April 2pm / Free
The Good Life: Exhibitions: Fri 10 Apr - Sun 7 Jun, 10am - 6pm
Arnolfini, Bristol



THE GOOD LIFE
FRI 10 APRIL – SUN 7 JUNE 2009

«A unique proposal for people who conceive their life as a work of art.»
Arnolfini have invited emerging Belgian artists Katleen Vermeir & Ronny Heiremans to develop a new project especially for the Arnolfini building. Their proposal has been unequivocal: transform the former warehouse into luxury residential units and sell them off. Taking this vision all the way, they have initiated a unique collaboration between the Arnolfini and a renowned office for architecture to create a new design for the Arnolfini building that is striking and ambitious.

The gallery’s transforming powers are at the heartbeat of this building. In an unprecedented collaboration between the artists and the architects, Vermeir & Heiremans have advanced a narrative that eloquently frames 51N4E’s cutting edge architecture. The artists have named their all-embracing proposal THE GOOD LIFE, and are working on this project with a creative team brought together for the occasion. Have a look at the proposed plans and get a full tour – get a taste for ‘the good life’.

«We should generally add to old buildings with a boldness of the best of our ancestors, leaving another layer for our successors to inherit.»John Ruskin
Bearing in mind Ruskin’s words, 51N4E, a price-winning office for architecture based in Brussels, have come up with a visionary plan and design. Although the Arnolfini building is at a strategic spot in the city, it always lacked visibility and just did not live up to its potential. 51N4E aimed to retain the building’s historic character, while energizing the site through the creation of a 21st century landmark building. 51N4E have designed an iconic tower for the Bristol skyline.

«One must live well to know what living is.» (Bertold Brecht)
The 51N4E landmark building is an agent of life. It boasts unique amenities known as The Good Life Collection. The Collection includes a landscape garden, a monumental spa championing the Byzantine cisterns of Istanbul, a double width screening room and the Edmund Burke first prints library. And let’s not forgot the lobby. Its pristine white walls and double height ceiling give it the feel of a cutting edge gallery.

On ARNOLFINI
As an international space for contemporary art, ARNOLFINI occupies an ambitious, boundary-crossing position in Bristol, fostering interaction between local, regional and international artists and audiences. ARNOLFINI presents cutting-edge art, music, film & live art within a forward-thinking intellectual framework.
Having been pioneering in kick-starting the regeneration of Bristol’s harbourside area after being the first cultural enterprise to move there in the mid-1970s, the Arnolfini is using the opportunity to think about its cultural value at large. The flagship art centre for the South East of Britain, Arnolfini is considering how such ‘strategic foresight’ could be part of the plan for art institutions in the 21st century, locating them centrally in the development and regeneration of cities.

51N4E
The name references the coordinates of Brussels. 51N4E is a price winning international practice that concerns itself with matters of space production i.e. architecture, urbanism, design and spatial analysis. The office is lead by 3 partners: Johan Anrys, Freek Persyn and Peter Swinnen. 51N4E was founded in 1998 and gained renown through key projects such as Lamot (2005), Groeningemuseum (2002), TID Tower Tirana (2004/08) and C-Mine( 2006/09).
In 2004 the practice was rewarded the prestigious Rotterdam Maaskant Award for Young Architects.

Recently 51N4E has won the international competition for the rehabilitation of Scanderbeg Square, Tirana (Al).
See also: www.51N4E.com