Archaeological Museum of Piraeus

Piraeus, Greece

2014

Open Architectural Competition

Materiality, land removal, simple geometric shapes and limit transformed into space in the existing building and the museological narrative.

Consideration of the recovery of the earthly and rocky structure of the site led to the re-rendition of the gate’s concept as ‘a space of penetration and oversight’.

The new Museum is a simple geometric volume with a three-way division. A ‘quarrying product’ that brings to mind the geomorphologic changes in the peninsula’s topography. A concrete block marks the base of the building’s volume while a porous prism, a stone’s volume after its cutting, demarcates its crest. The external structure, an element of optical penetration, surrounds the external motion flow, while in the internal articulation a ‘funnel of light’ surrounds the central course of ascent, descent.

The living experience of the whole, of ‘once_now’, reaches its peak with the viewing of the city of Piraeus and Athens in a reflection game with water mirrors of the outdoor glyptotheque.

The Museum square and the Public Park advance as a perceivably seamless and consistent space with legibility and size. Curves, fluid forms, create levels and access ramps, create an atmosphere of familiarity and optical diffusion, shaping the square.

Archaeological Museum of Piraeus

CREDITS

Architectural Design: SPARCH

Partner in Charge: Morpho Papanikolaou

Collaborators: E. Papaevangelou, G. Papanikolaou, E. Korompeli, E. Zntravkov , N. Xristopoulou

Students of architecture: G. Kontominas, I. Tatli, A. Papadopoulou, Z. Iatridou

ConsultanTs: F. Vlachaki (Architect, Museologist), S. Barbarian (Landscape Architect), P. Kinatos. I. Pagonis, K. Polychronopoulos (Civil Engineers), Samaras & Associates – Consultant Engineers (Mechanical Engineer), E. Deko & Associates (Lighting Design), Beetroot (Logo)