International Competition
Special Mention

This holistic approach redesigns the landscape, the urban traffic, the building and the museographical brief along the lines of a central concept, which:
-Promotes the archaeological site of the Eetionian Gates out of all public space levels and interior museum spaces.
-Recreates the ambient alluding to the ancient landscape, by a bridging flow between facing hills and by linking the city to the cultural coast.
-Connects the Museum’s entrance to the archaeological site through a public, free but enclosed passage crossing through the building.
-Reforms the upper structure of the building by emphasising the borderline of the urban tissue and transforms the museum into a recognisable landmark.

The fortification of the Ietionia peninsula dictated the architectural and curatorial elaboration. The significance of the Eetionia fortification cannot be fully perceived today because of its lacking western leg, which sealed the protection of the bay. This proposal restores the ancient landscaping by revealing the western slope of the fortifications.
A public passage connects the upper and lower plazas, crossing the museum space in a closed path and thus stimulating a future visit to the permanent exhibition.
The pilotis is upgraded into a tall arcade and its plateau is converted into a recreation zone that offers unobstructed vistas to the archaeological site and the port. The new landscaping penetrates the mass of the multi-storey building, seemingly reducing its height. The proposal, a new urban event, evolves into low and longitudinal wings along the northern plot edge, outlining the borders of the dwelling zone. The new form of the building’s crowning redefines its character and transforms into a landmark.