8th Arquine International Competition: A Site Museum for Tulum, Mexico - 1st Prize.
The project, a museum in the major archaeological site of Mexico, relates itself with two different contests: the site of Tulum and the forest.
The strategy of intervention tends to reassume the tension of this twofold relation in a single design gesture. In this spirit, the museum assumes a hypogenous character establishing with its roof a platform that defines a glade in the surrounding space of the woodland.
The museum develops itself below the ground level, under the glade. It is a monolithic element, enveloped by stone panels, on which is elaborated operations of additions and subtractions in order to enlighten the space of the museum.
The project, defines then two parallels spaces: the underground rooms that are related to the imaginary of the ancient Mexican architecture, and an upper ground virtual room that is formed by the sky and the trees. The museum is reached through a non linear path that connects the level of the street with the level of the building. It is an experential path that does not reveal immediately the museum, instead it exposes it progressively.
The museum is formed by a series of autonomous rooms that are set together in a way to create a series of different paths inside the expositive spaces. The rooms are alternated with open spaces that allow lateral illumination. Vertical illumination is assured by the series of lithic elements on the roof that captivates and inserts the light. The walls are characterized with a superficial treatment that is inspired from the ancient decoration of the Maya civilisation, creating a texture that filters and decompose the external light.
Alessandro Console with G. Benedetti, A. Cancellieri
2006
