David Chipperfield designs rammed-earth extension for Athens museum
A rammed-earth extension is about to be added to the neoclassical Nationwide Archaeological Museum in Athens as a part of a refurbishment by David Chipperfield Architects’ studio in Berlin.
The museum, which is situated within the Greek capital’s Exarcheia neighbourhood, shall be expanded with 20,000 sq. metres of area in addition to a verdant rooftop park for the general public.
Constructed between 1866 and 1874, the Nationwide Archaeological Museum was designed by architects Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller to deal with prehistoric and historic artworks.
Its revamp by David Chipperfield Architects will intention to enrich the unique neoclassical structure whereas bringing it as much as modern-day requirements.
“By refurbishment and extension, the Nationwide Archaeological Museum of Athens shall be modernised to fulfill in the present day’s requirements of high quality, openness and sustainability,” stated the studio.
“David Chipperfield Architects Berlin attracts on the essence of Lange’s unique design – a romantic philhellenic concept of an city panorama, articulated by way of lush open areas inside the dense metropolis grid – taking the monumental constructing as a place to begin and framing it with nature.”
As soon as full, the undertaking will see the museum prolonged down to fulfill an adjoining road, with a sequence of blocky volumes which have partitions manufactured from rammed earth.
This may deliver the museum’s most important entrance ahead to the road stage and supply passersby glimpses inside, serving to to re-establish its connection to the town.
The extension is designed with an “architectural language of pure and clear volumes” that can keep away from distracting from the unique constructing, whereas the rammed-earth partitions are supposed to create the sensation of being inside the floor, echoing the character of the archaeological shows.
“Respecting the constructing’s historic worth, the extension doesn’t aspire to compete with the prevailing structure, however varieties a harmonious ensemble of areas, discovering a steadiness between previous and new,” stated the studio.
The extension is anticipated to offer roughly 20,000 sq. metres of extra area for the museum, in addition to the rooftop public park that shall be closely planted.
Belgian panorama architect Wirtz Worldwide is creating the panorama design, which can concentrate on texture and contain giant bushes.
Inside, the extension will comprise everlasting and momentary galleries, in addition to public amenities together with a ticket desk, store, restaurant and auditorium.
The previous and new parts of the museum shall be related by the brand new exhibition areas, in addition to a spacious new inside courtyard.
Based in 1985, David Chipperfield Architects is the eponymous studio of British architect David Chipperfield. It has workplaces in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai.
Its proposal for the Nationwide Archaeological Museum extension was chosen from a contest with a shortlist of 10 proposals, and designed in collaboration with panorama architect Wirtz Worldwide and structure studios Tombazis & Affiliate Architects and Atelier Brückner, in addition to the engineers WH-P Ingenieure and Werner Sobek.
Different museum renovation initiatives by David Chipperfield embody Berlin’s Neues Museum, which it revamped with Julian Harrap Architects, and the Neue Nationalgalerie, which was initially designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
