‘the great site of homo erectus fossils museum’ by studio odile decq, nanjing, chinaimage © studio odile decq

 

 

 

slated for completion in 2014, studio odile decq shared with us images of their competition-winning entry for the ‘homo erectus fossilmuseum’ in  nanjing, at the archaeological site where the homo erectus nankinensis male and female skulls were discovered in 1993.the project therefore pulls its formal cues directly from the site, neither dominating it nor becoming an irrelevant structure within it.the natural contours are extruded and interpreted in volume, rising out of the ground cradling a large exterior plaza. continuous bandsof glazing stretch across the vertical voids between the elevated floor plates allowing a constant connection to the exterior. layering the floors mimics the natural formation of the earth’s crust, with central voids that expose the make-up of the museum as a geological and paleontological concept. the back side of the museum in turn is formed by a solid concrete spine that supports the rest of the structure and includes the elevators, technical rooms, and services. the ground floor is complemented by smaller vibrant volumes, organic in nature, that house various programmatic elements such as the 250-seat theater, a 200-seat 4D cinema, restaurant, cafe, and gift shop. gallery spaces are organized according to museological scale, connected by various paths of circulation so that users may efficientlyvisit the exhibitions based on the the length of time they want to spend.

 

 

odile decq: the great site of homo erectus fossils museum - 2exterior squareimage © studio odile decq

 

 

odile decq: the great site of homo erectus fossils museum - 3(left) entrance area(right) central voids exposing the floor layersimage © studio odile decq

 

 

odile decq: the great site of homo erectus fossils museum - 4ground floorimage © studio odile decq

 

 

odile decq: the great site of homo erectus fossils museum - 5main hallimage © studio odile decq

 

 

odile decq: the great site of homo erectus fossils museum - 6vertical green wall alludes to the earth’s layersimage © studio odile decq

 

 

project info:

 

 

client: nanjing tangshan construction investment development companyarea: 24,000 m2costs (architectural part): 240,000,000 rmbcompetition winning project: january 2012realisation: 2014construction design: nanjing changjian urban architectural design co, ltd.interior design: lord cultural resourcesmaster plan: rahamimoff architects and urbanists ltd.landscape design: pwa