The Lithuanian National Museum of Art Competition 

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MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT HERE

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INTRO​

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It is not the first decade that the new museology standards have been discussed, visions of the future concept of the museum have been developed, and the necessary institutional and political changes have been debated. There are already examples around the world, that come along as larger and smaller, often private initiatives, that accomplish astonishing changes in the centuries-old tradition of museology, fulfilling brand new scenarios, when museums become not only an exhibition space, but also a space of cultural and social coexistence. To begin with, from a wide range of ideas, we highlight (without even touching on architecture) the main visions that reflect the ideas of the new museology and what opportunities the new museum building has to create:

The Museum does not start or end with an exhibition - it stands as a hybrid of different activities that oversights the canonical functions of the museum.
The Museum is a cultural-social space.
The Museum is a space unfamiliar with age, social and other differences.

The Museum is an open space of experience, cognition, education and collaboration.

 

MUSEUM VISION AND OBJECTIVE

 

To create a Museum that embraces world art and design and would exhibit art of different periods and various countries. Visual art and design is a key concept that fuses the entire building complex. Also, the Museum complex has to become an attractive public cultural space accessible to all.

The main ambition is to revive the structure of the Radvila Palace complex by fully adapting the existing buildings, filling the empty parts of the complex, overcoming the courtyards and complying with the highest standards of Museum activity

 

URBAN IDEA

The urban idea consists of the building and the public space and the immediate relationship between its volumes and function. Based on the former historic building remnants, U-shaped semi- open perimeter is being restored - new volumes are being added within the North East Pavilion, the Second East Building and the South Pavilion, thus completing the urban structure. Volumes are shaped to create a sense of inclusion, openness - a connection with space. Purposefully incomplete, but a partially open building on the historic perimeter of the Palace is being created, thus welcoming public space right inside.

From the sense of urbanism, the composition of public space is important, it consists of two parts - open urban space and the courtyard of the Palace. Although the spaces intertwine, the former location of the historic Palace wall is deliberately represented thus creating these two spaces. Only in this case, the Palace wall is not directly restored, but presented as interpretation - this is another element of an open, inclusive image of the complex, as through opening [or windows] made inside the recess provided at the place of the wall, offer a view of the main hall not only to museum visitors but also to public space users.

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ARCHITECTURAL IDEA

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Primary architectural idea is to express by means of new volumes of the building what is valuable, not to obscure the historical context, but meanwhile to create and maintain its character, in other words - to catalyze and infuse. The strategy of preserving and restoring the architecture is applied to the historical buildings, and new volumes are created by laconic means through the silhouette.

It is vital in an architectural sense, that there is a clear understanding of what is new and what is old. This way, authenticity is highlighted, and new architecture is formed by modern means, as defined by the principles of quality design. The aesthetics of the building clearly communicate the image of the Museum and carry a message of openness. The openness is defined through the undeveloped parts within the boundaries of the South and North East Pavilion and the open part of the complex on the plot - a window in the historical place of the Palace fence wall, a skylight in the courtyard and an open roof. With these elements, architecture is combined into a common coherence with the public space.