Antoine du Bus de Warnaffe: décembre 2014

FINAL PROJECT:

ALCANTARA

Antoine du Bus and Victor Vandewattyne

Museum on the hill

Implantation plan

Located on a historic site of Extremadura, the project is to build an archaeological museum on the site of the ancient ruins of a convent. In continuation of the old convent, our project uses the idea of building patio, but the reverse. This patio traditionally dug in the middle of the building, is replaced here by the presence of a mysterious box located in the heart of the building.

Implantation in the plot

Main concept

The main idea of the project is to develop a box in a box. The inter box is the center of the exhibition and the outer box is the skin of the building. With that idea, we played the materials and the structure to create light effects and perceptions concepts.

Developement of the project

The inter box is built according to the adobe vernacular tradition, incorporating stones found on the site. Exhibition spaces are carved into the wall, thanks to this, the box becomes a full exhibition stand.
The outer box is in turn a translucent skin consists of a wooden structure covered with perforated steel. This structure gives the whole a diffuse and soft light to the entire space.
Between these two boxes float trays. The high ceilings are changing creating from simple to double high depending of the type of the spaces.

Composition, structure and materials

Open view

To enter into the building, the visitors must first pass a porshe that leads to the museum or the church.

Once in the building, the visitors can take a rest in the entrance hall before taking the elevator to start the tour. The visit starts at the top and ends in the basement but each level can be visited freely. Once the visit is complete, visitors arrive at the cafetaria in connection with the bookshop with a clear view of the landscape. They can then enjoy the outdoor terrace before leaving to visit the rest of the site.