The client requirements of this project were that the building must
look like a giant hamburger; or at least that it express the interior
contents (hamburgers) in a clear fashion. The museum is the collection
of a German businessman who has searched the globe for the different
kinds of hamburgers from various continents, and wished to create
a museum to display these items to the general public. The building's
most predominant feature are the fiberglass walls which fold down
to open the entire interior space to the outdoors;thus revealing the
interior contents and creating a sensational visual and functional
effect. During the Fall, Winter and Spring months, when the temperature
is a comfortable 15 to 25 degrees Celsius, the building's fiberglass
walls fold open and close during the later evening. The roof is like
an abstract hamburger bun with sesame seed-like small glass skylight
plugs that emit controlled natural light to the interior during the
day. A double helix inclined ramp takes visitors up or down to view
the built-in display shelves. The central waterfall provides natural
cooling and a soothing ambiance. The structure of the building is
Cor-10 rustproof steel with small-sized mosaic ceramic tile for waterproof
sheathing that is easy to maintain. The plentiful light of the Florida
sun makes the integrated use of photovoltaic panels a natural design
feature. Storage and mechanical spaces are accessed from the rear.
The main entrance of the building is beyond a series of ramps and
bridges at the rear of the building. This allows the visitor to become
oriented to the site and the exterior of the building before entering
it without being seen from the more public street view. Thus the mystery
of the building is incrementally revealed in surprising and intimate
ways from the street and its noise.
