At present, the Sorolla Museum must improve certain spaces in order to offer a complete museum experience. To this effect, plans have been drawn to place all necessary services and areas to satisfy the demands of present-day society in the expansion.
In some instances, the Museum does include the aforementioned spaces and services, but these are often limited or incomplete. In others, a given service or space is simply unavailable, despite being necessary for the correct functioning of the Museum.
This includes both spaces for public use and spaces dedicated to internal tasks performed by Museum staff. Some of which are detailed below.
The new temporary exhibition halls aim to be a wide and multi-purpose space in which to develop the ambitious temporary exhibition program of the new Sorolla Museum. Versatility, functionality, and the contemporaneity of the new architectural language being implemented will be some of the defining features of these exhibition spaces.
The renovated Sorolla Museum will include new collection storage spaces equipped with adequate systems to store close to 9,000 cultural heritage assets comprising the Museum’s varied collection (paintings, drawings, sculptures, furniture, photography, ceramics, archeology, decorative arts, etc.). Given that the most important part of the Museum collection includes nearly 1,400 paintings by Sorolla, these works will now find suitable storage in the new facilities, ensuring their optimal conservation.
In order to guarantee adequate conservation and restoration treatments for the collection, a new large and well-equipped space will be available for the first time, featuring all the necessary equipment to help preserve and restore the Museum’s collection.
The assembly hall will also be defined by its versatility. It will incorporate the necessary elements to develop all types of scientific and cultural activities, such as conferences, congresses, audiovisual projections, concerts, performances… It will include simultaneous translation booths and a mobile seating area in order to maximize space usage according to specific needs.
It is essential to improve accessibility in order to guarantee that persons with reduced mobility can visit the Museum, allowing them to move through the premises adequately. Likewise, the new expansion space will function as a large reception area for visitors. This will allow for large groups to be hosted without reducing flows and correct access to the general public.
The loading dock will allow for handling and shipping cultural heritage assets into and out of the institution, guaranteeing their conservation and security at all times. It will be a restricted space that is independent from other Museum areas.
During Museum visits, a small and welcoming café will allow visitors to take a break in a peaceful and cozy environment.