The museum project was born from the idea of relating the ancient Pompeii, with the new Pompeii. We analyzed the attraction poles of two “cities”: points then become generators of the museum itself.
The project tries to exploit these typical features of the ancient city and make it a reason to design creating interesting relationships between full and empty, open rooms in visual relationship between them.
Another key aspect of the museum are the stairs and ramps that aren’t just a simple vertical connection but generate the beginning a real teaching Promenade. Moreover, these allow direct access to some areas of the museum which must be accessible even when the exhibition spaces are closed.
The museum then is no longer understood as the only container objects show to tourists but also as a center of interest for the inhabitants that can articipate in activities that take place inside.
The building fits into the existing context in a neutral but decisive, with the use of translucent materials such as polycarbonate that let leak out a soft glow at the dusk.
Its impressive dimensions make it feel the presence but not placing itself at odds with the context. “Pompeii is much more than a museum. Pompeii is life itself. “(Amelie Nothomb 1996) Source by Dario Di Tella.
Location: Pompei, Naples, Italy
Architects: Dario Di Tella, Carmine Errico, Luigi Maisto
Competition: Pompei. Save the History
Classification: Honorable Mention
Year: 2014
Images: Courtesy of Dario Di Tella