27/01/2012

Alésia Museum and Archaeological Park.

by Bernard Tschumi Architects. [Vercingétorix - Burgundy] France. 23/03/2012

By: metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA

Categories: Architecture, Projects, VIDEO

1st. building finished. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

First builing, part of a museum complex designed by Bernard Tschumi Architects, a new interpretive center on the site of the historic Battle of Alésia will open in a formal ceremony on March 23, 2012. Located in Burgundy, France, the building marks the position of the Roman army, under Julius Caesar, and its encampment surrounding the Gauls under Vercingetorix in 52 B.C. The building will be open to the public starting on March 26th.

Tschumi’s design features a cylindrical building with an exterior envelope made of wood, a material that references the Roman fortifications of the era, some of which are reconstructed in an area a short walk from the building. The roof of the building is planted with low shrubs and trees, so as to minimize the visual impact of the building when seen from the hill above (the historical position of the Gauls). The materiality and sustainable elements of the building are meant to make visitors aware of the surrounding landscape, which appears much as it would have 2000 years ago. A second building on the hill will mark the location of the Gauls, and has a similar geometry but is clad in stone, evoking its trenched position.

The interpretive center will contain exhibits and interactive displays that contextualize the events of the Battle of Alésia and its aftermath. The displays are intended to reach a broader audience than a museum, with a range of media and programs for all ages.

The second building will act as a more traditional museum, with a focus on found objects and artifacts unearthed from the site. The second building is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

Program and interior view drawing.

TECHNICAL SHEET.
Competition 1st prize, 2003.
Size: 60,000 square foot Museum. / 70,000 square foot Interpretative Centre.
Budget: $39,000,000.
Client: Bourgogne Region, France.
Team: Design Leader: Bernard Tschumi. Team: Competition, First design and design development: Joel Rutten, Kim Starr, Rémy Cointet, Adam Dayem, Jane Kim, KJ Min, Adrien Durrmeyer, Matt Stofen, with Véronique Descharrières. Construction Documents, Site control: Véronique Descharrières, Antoine Santiard, Rémy Cointet, Jean-Jacques Hubert. Landscape architect: Michel Desvigne. Mechanical engenier: Cabinet Choulet. Structure: AC Ingenierie.

Links of interest:

BERNARD TSCHUMI ARCHITECTS

The website of the Muséoparc of Alésia

First level plan. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Second level plan. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Roof level plan. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Cross section in relationship with access. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Section access. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Drawing project. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Working progress. © by Bernard Tschumi Architects.

Bernard

Tschumi

Bernard Tschumi is first known as a theorist, he drew attention to his architectural practice in 1983 when he won the competition for the Parc de La Villette. Since then, he has made a reputation for groundbreaking designs that include the new Acropolis Museum; Le Fresnoy National Studio for the Contemporary Arts; the Vacheron-Constantin Headquarters; The Richard E. Lindner Athletics Center at the University of Cincinnati; and architecture schools in Marne-la-Vallée, France and Miami, Florida, among other projects. His projects include master plans for Mediapolis in Singapore, a new Media Zone in Abu Dhabi , and the Independent Financial Centre of the Americas in the Dominican Republic.

Tschumi was awarded France’s Grand Prix National d’Architecture in 1996 as well as numerous awards from the American Institute of Architects and the National Endowment for the Arts. He is an international fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in England and a member of the Collège International de Philosophie and the Académie d’Architecture in France, where he has been distinguished with the rank of Officer in both the Légion d’Honneur and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

The many books devoted to Tschumi’s writings and architectural practice include the forth-part Event-Cities series (MIT Press, 1994, 2000, 2005 and 2010); The Manhattan Transcripts (Academy Editions and St. Martin’s Press, 1981 and 1994); Architecture and Disjunction (MIT Press, 1994); and the monograph Tschumi (Universe/Thames and Hudson, English version, and Skira, Italian version, 2003).

A graduate of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Tschumi has taught architecture at a range of institutions including the Architectural Association in London, Princeton University, and The Cooper Union in New York. He was dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University from 1988 to 2003 and is currently a professor in the Graduate School of Architecture.

Tschumi’s work has been exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam, the Pompidou Center in Paris, as well as other museums and art galleries in the United States and Europe.