The monumental building design by Heneghan Peng Architects is composed of parallel programmatic bands set on slightly sloping terrain. The composition follows a fan-shaped scheme visually aligned with the position of the three pyramids. The interior follows this radial composition, leading visitors from the entrance to the final view of the pyramids.
The impressive six-storey staircase serves as a chronological route guiding visitors through the different galleries, beginning with the Predynastic Period and extending to the Coptic era. The permanent exhibitions, including the new Tutankhamun Gallery, are located at the upper end of the staircase. Many of the largest and heaviest artefacts, including the 10 statues of King Senusret I, are also placed along the staircase at different levels.
Although natural light is often minimised in museums for conservation reasons, because many of the pieces are made of stone, natural lighting has been incorporated as one of the key strategies proposed by Heneghan Peng for the museum. To ensure the building operates as passively as possible, the structure is built mainly in concrete to reduce temperature fluctuations and minimise the need for air conditioning in such a large space.
The site also includes spaces such as the Thematic Gardens, the Welcome Plaza and the Grand Hall, created by the Dutch firm West 8. The large front courtyard, with vegetation and date palms, was projected to tell the story of the Nile’s alluvial plain, which once enabled the maritime transport of the pyramid stones. This open area, with five hectares of outdoor exhibition space, reveals the 800-metre length of the museum. In addition, the museum includes a series of facilities dedicated to conservation, including a conservation centre, laboratories and a storage area, which are connected to the main building by a tunnel, making it one of the largest in the world, with 17 different laboratories dedicated to preserving the museum’s invaluable collection.
Grand Egyptian Museum by Heneghan Peng Architects. Photograph by Georges & Samuel Mohsen – The GS Studio.
Grand Egyptian Museum by Heneghan Peng Architects. Photograph by Georges & Samuel Mohsen – The GS Studio.
Project description by Heneghan Peng Architects
The site for the Grand Egyptian Museum is located at the edge of the first desert plateau between the pyramids and Cairo. It is defined by a 50m level difference, created as the Nile carves its way through the desert to the Mediterranean, a geological condition that has shaped Egypt for over 3,000 years.
The Grand Staircase ascends from the Entrance Court to the permanent exhibition galleries on the top floor, stopping off at special exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, and Archaeological Main Storage. The staircase is the chronological route within the museum, culminating in the view of the pyramids at the top of the stairs. An identifiable reference point, the Grand Staircase allows visitors to easily navigate this vast Museum.
The museum is designed so that visitors move through a sequence of spaces, gradually transitioning from the contemporary world back into the world of the Pharaohs. The monumental forecourt in front of the museum is the first point from which the visitor can grasp the scale and monumentality of the site. Gradually sloping upwards to the entrance, the visitor is led into the Entrance Court, a shaded outdoor space that continues the transition from the outdoor area to the museum and conference.
A 3-dimensional structure inscribed by a set of visual axes from the site to the three pyramids defines the framework within which the museum emerges, from the overall scale of the site to the smallest of details. The design of the museum uses the level difference between the Nile Valley and the desert plateau to construct a new 'edge' to the plateau. The museum exists between the level of the Nile Valley and the plateau, never extending above the plateau.
The approach to the museum is a series of layers, whereby the visitor moves through a monumental forecourt, a shaded entrance area and a grand staircase that ascends to plateau level, the level at which the galleries are located, where for the first time the visitor sees the pyramids from within the museum.
The museum is structured in five bands by the visual axes to the pyramids, the sixth band being the chronological route of the grand stair. Having ascended through the Museum, the visitor enters the permanent exhibition areas from where the pyramids can be seen. The galleries are organized on one floor to allow the visitor to comprehend the scale and magnificence of the civilization, while the five bands are spatially structured by the structural roof folds and heavy service walls. A clear organization is provided to a large space, yet still allowing flexible modes of display. Natural light is modulated and controlled by the roof folds.
The museum is envisaged as a cultural complex of activities devoted to Egyptology and will contain 24,000m² of permanent exhibition space, almost 4 football fields in size, a children's museum, conference and education facilities, a large conservation center and extensive gardens on the 50thA site. The collections of the museum include the Tutankhamen collection, which is currently housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the Solar Boat, which is now housed beside the pyramids.
