herzog & de meuron's proposal for athens archaeological museum nods to ancient greece

Herzog & de Meuron’s design for the National Archaeological Museum of Athens

Herzog & de Meuron, in collaboration with the Greek practice Aeter Architects, participated in an architectural competition for the expansion of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. While their submission did not secure the first place, their proposal stood out with a unique vision, emphasizing integration with the nearby park and neighborhood. Ultimately, the winning proposal was presented by David Chipperfield Architects, with the new exhibition spaces subtly housed beneath the plaza. Meanwhile, another remarkable suggestion came from Kengo Kuma & K-studio, who suggested a submerged building concept, symbolically unveiling the buried treasures over time.

Herzog & de Meuron’s design approach focuses on opening up the museum and forging a strong connection with the surroundings. ‘Like urban acupuncture, we improve the circulation in and around the Museum by creating new access points, opening arteries, animating many types of experiences and enhancing the ongoing regeneration of the Exarchia neighborhood. The Museum and the City become one. The extended and revitalized National Archaeological Museum will become an urban magnet and a place for all – museum visitors, tourists, scholars and the citizens of Athens at large,’ describes the team.

all images by Herzog & de Meuron

nodding to ancient Greek elements in a contemporary way

The architectural scheme incorporates elements from ancient Greece, such as stoa, agora, and garden, combining them in a contemporary way. The main goal is to transform the museum into a lively social place for exchange and leisure. ‘We introduce the stoa as a new axis through the garden and the existing building where visitors and passers-by can wander without a ticket, experiencing the garden, historic courtyards and the exhibition spaces with glances down into the agora,’ explain the architects. The plan connects the Exarchia neighborhood to Patission Street, the city’s central cultural axis. The agora, referring to a large new hall, extends the exhibition spaces, offering new curatorial possibilities. It unfolds as a quarry-like space, providing a contemporary contrast to the restored neoclassical beauty of the existing building.

the pavilion features a large, light roof that welcomes visitors.

‘The garden demonstrates how museums conceived at first as closed treasure chests can become animated social places of exchange and leisure’. Certain walls of the agora rise to form skylights, walls, and benches. This creates a lush landscape and turns the neoclassical park into a usable garden for everyone.

The historic garden’s appearance is preserved by keeping the big trees at the edges of the site. The design team also increased the greenery by adding more plants and extending them across the entire complex. The entrance pavilion on Patission Street is the main new architectural feature on the outside. It has a large, light roof that welcomes visitors. The pavilion provides an open view from Patission Street to the existing Museum. With a wall of falling water and lush greenery in the garden, the new pavilion becomes a pleasant place to experience and invites visitors to explore the Museum below.

the structure invites visitors to explore the Museum below

The agora has three types of architectural elements: horizontal podiums, platforms, and floor recesses. It also has two types of vertical structures: peripheral niches with skylights and semi-permanent anchor rooms called monoliths. These anchor rooms are designed to display artifacts in various arrangements, offering different exhibition formats and perspectives. The agora’s architectural elements can be enhanced with projections or augmented reality to recreate the original habitats of the archaeological pieces in a modern way. The upper historical galleries’ atmosphere, with their decorations and finishes resembling the artifacts’ original setting, is also reflected in the new underground extension.

In the past, the Museum relied on natural daylight for illumination. In the new extension, daylight still plays a role through skylights, sunken courtyards, and a large window at the Entrance Pavilion, which connects with the outside world. Additionally, precise artificial lighting is used to meet contemporary exhibition needs, highlighting the displayed works and ensuring optimal conditions for maintenance and visitor experience.

The stoa serves as the primary urban intervention in the project. It begins at the Entrance Pavilion and stretches above the agora before going under the existing building. This pathway offers a journey through history and archaeology while establishing a strong link between Patission Street and Exarchia.

The stoa is a common urban typology in Athens and is already inherent in the existing Museum’s design. This vibrant street-like structure connects all existing and new activities within the Museum, including the Entrance Pavilion, agora, library, restaurant, auditorium, amphitheater, historical main entrance, galleries, existing courtyards, Epigraphic Museum, and the new entrances. The stoa is crucial in directly connecting the National Technical University of Athens and the Acropolis Across, serving important roles in the urban area.

the stoa offers a journey through history and archaeology while connecting the surroundings with the existing building

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the new underground extension maintains the same atmosphere as the upper historical galleries

daylight plays an important role through skylights and sunken courtyards

precise artificial lighting is used to meet contemporary exhibition needs

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

architects: Herzog & de Meuron | @herzogdemeuron

partners: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Stefan Marbach, Andreas Fries (Partner in Charge)
project team: Tomislav Dushanov (Project Director) Elena Klinnert (Project Manager) Konstantinos Katsas (Project Manager) Vasileios Kalisperakis, Martin Schulte, Marina Tsintzeli, Evgenia Angelaki, Niklas Nalbach, Oscar Amicabile, Elliott Friedman, Woohee Kim, Roberto Monticelli, Jacob Steinberg, Victoria Svendsen

client: Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, GR, Athina, Mpoumpoulinas 20
design consultant : Herzog & de Meuron Global Ltd. Basel, Switzerland
local architect: Aeter Architects, Athens, Greece
landscape architect: H. Pangalou & Associates Landscape Architects, Athens, Greece
museographer: Studio Adrien Gardère, Paris, France
structural consultant and sustainability: Arup International Projects Limited, London, UK
consultant on integration of the new NAM into the social, cultural, and urban context in Athens and Greece: Tense Architecture Network, Athens, Greece

site area: 313,444 sqft, 29,120 sqm
gross floor area (GFA): 398,264 sqft, 37,000 sqm
outside facilities: 184,493 sqft, 17,140 sqm
number of levels: 4