Archaeology Museum Park of Paladru

The lake has created a remarkable landscape, an extremely readable territory unified by the standing water of the lake. The wetland where the museum-park was to stand offers a particularly rich ecological environment, because of its position at the interface between water, earth and air. The wetland functions as a sponge. The water dynamics, due to quantitative and temporal variations, is the site’s ecologic engine.

The building extends along an axis 160 metres long, perpendicular to the contour lines: it is situated "with the grain of the water". It is elevated so as not to create a break in the landscape. The extension of the reed bed around the building emphasises this effect of a structure that has sprung from nature. The wetland is not interrupted and seems to run under the building. The "underside" is a wide, roofed pontoon, which extends far out into the lake and contains all the accesses: public, staff, boat moorings, starting point for walks in the park and to reconstructions of Neolithic and mediaeval villages.

The museum is a landmark in the landscape. We wanted it strange and mysterious to inspire curiosity, incite a visit. It resembles a branch, whose main stem and twigs bend to meet the axis of the lake. This reference to plant morphology gives the structure a certain freedom, despite the fact that it is built to a strict controlling plan.

The tour of the museum is linear, a sequence of all the itineraries available in the park. The scenography concept led to an alternation between opaque and transparent spaces. To generate a unified whole and avoid breaking up the line, all sides of the structure are enveloped in a wooden lattice which suggests an airy web in its construction. By contrast, the background materials of the facades, behind the lattice, are bright, as if precious: glass, metal, coloured lacquer work. By erasing the traditional attributes of a building (doors, windows, roofs), the project conveys an abstract impression. The filter, by allowing a glimpse of the structures contained within, like objects in a basket, contributes to the mystery.