Archaeological museum on the historic site of Volubilis

set within the most visited archaeological site in the kingdom of morocco, this project seeks to enhance the historical and symbolic significance of this unique unesco world heritage site. the site is an exceptionally well-preserved example of an ancient roman colonial town and one of several antique sites in morocco. volubilis later became the capital of idris i, the first islamic ruler in morocco, and thus transformed into an islamic settlement. the superposition of different civilizations on the same ground creates a site rich in varied histories and artefacts.

due to the lack of urban development in the immediate surroundings, the site today closely resembles what the romans saw in their time. in order to highlight the dramatic visual impact of the antique ruins upon entry to the site, the volume of the museum is ded into the hillside so that visitors do not initially perceive its presence.

this museum complex, the first of its kind in morocco, is unique in that it hosts a multitude of functions for a variety of users: tourists, schoolchildren, researchers, and administrative staff. the project provides a pedagogical space for both the general public and for research professionals. the visitor center aims to educate the public on the site’s significance by highlighting the richness of morocco’s past and its place within the continuum of the region’s extraordinary multicultural history. as volubilis is an active archaeological site, the public will benefit from the unique educational opportunities afforded by proximity to an ongoing archaeological dig.

the project is conceived as a narrow imprint on the perimeter of the ancient territory, eight meters wide by two hundred meters long. the building consists of a succession of wooden volumes along an extended retaining wall, simultaneously buried and suspended in relationship to the rolling landscape. the project behaves much like the ruins it houses, and the tectonics of its construction and the lifespan of its materials inherently propose a strategy for the building’s eventual disappearance.

Client: Ministry of Culture, Kingdom of Morocco
Site: Volubilis, Morocco
Size: 4 200 m²

Linna Choi
Tarik Oualalou
Abderrahim Kassou
Mustapha Chekib

Archaeological museum on the historic site of Volubilis by tarik oualalou in Morocco won the WA Award Cycle 6. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.