vertical
museum
the clock tower in Gijon : new archaeological museum in Gijon, Asturias
This project is part of a general rehabilitation program for the old section
of the city of Gijon. Recent archaeological excavations prove the existence
of an important Roman settlement in this northern part of Spain.
The interior renovation and museum project tries to create a link between the shape and the contents of the permanent exhibition and the existing space: a six floor high tower with a 6 x 8 meter floor plan. This verticality, even more emphasized by the existing stair system, seems to need continuity and fluidity in the explanatory tour.
The idea is to integrate the exhibition elements to the existing architecture.
Walls, floors and stair volumes become showcases and therefore set the small
exhibition space free of single furniture pieces. A series of new skins cover
the existing interior, leaving a certain spaces inbetween to place the archaeological
pieces. Trapped in time by these new surfaces, the pieces appear and disappear
depending on the movements of the visitors. While some objects can be seen
directly, others can only be discovered through the reflected image.
Introducing the notion of play and fluidity into the concept of a museum helps one to understand such a cultural place in a more dynamic way as a city event. The visual connection through the different glass floors establishes a relation of space and time during the history of Gijon.
