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Acropolis Museum

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Νέο Μουσείο Ακροπόλεως
New Acropolis Museum
File:New acropolis museum 11 07.jpg
Map
Established2008
LocationDionysiou Areopagitou Street
Athens, Greece
TypeArchaeological Museum
Collection size4,250+ objects
DirectorDimitrios Pandermalis
Websitewww.newacropolismuseum.gr

The New Acropolis Museum is a purpose built museum by architect Bernard Tschumi to house the archaeological findings related to the Acropolis Hill, in Athens (Greece). It is located near the Acropolis. President of the Organisation for the Construction of the New Museum is the Aristotle University emeritus Professor of Archaeology, Dimitrios Pandermalis.

History

The existing Acropolis Museum located on the Acropolis itself was completed in 1874. Successive excavations on the Acropolis have uncovered many further artifacts which have far exceeded the capacity of the existing building. An additional motivation for the construction of a new museums was that in the past when Greece has made requests for the return of the Elgin Marbles, one of the arguments raised was that Greece had no suitable location in which to display them. Creation of a gallery for the display of the Elgin Marbles has been key to all recent proposals for the design of a new museum.

The first architectural competition in recent times to design a new museum was held in 1976. Both the 1976 competition and one that followed it in 1979 were limited to entries from within Greece and failed to produce satisfactory designs.

In 1989, a third (this time international) competition for the design of the New Acropolis Museum was announced, with a choice of three possible sites. This competition was won by Italian architects Nicoletti and Passarelli. After delays throughout the 1990s, work on the construction of the museum based on this third design design progressed to the stage of excavations for the foundations, but these unexpectedly revealed sensitive archaeological remains on the site, leading to the government's annulment of the competition in 1999.

As a direct response to the problems that arose from the third competition, the fourth competition in 2000 set specific parameters of where the building could touch the ground, in order that a design could be produced which would safely sit on columns over the archaeological remains without damaging them. competition was open only to invited practices and was won by New York based architect Bernard Tschumi, in collaboration with Greek architect Michael Photiadis.

Following the finalising of Tschumi and Photiadis's design, it was intended that constuction work would progress rapidly, with the intention that the New Museum would be opened in time for the Athens Olympics in 2004. Successive delays however resulted from legal challenges by the opposition Nea Demokratia party[1][2][3][4] and then by financial issues affecting Alte[5], the main contractors carrying out the construction work, who as a result were replaced by Aktor.

As construction work neared completion, an operation to move the historic artifacts for a 400 meters distance from the Acropolis rock to the new museum started on Sunday, 14 October, 2007, involving three giant cranes. The antiquities, which had not left the rock for 25 centuries, were insured for 400 million Euros. Greek officials expressed their hope that the new museum will help in the campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles.[6][7]

In October 2007, work began on moving antiquities by crane from the old Acropolis Museum to the new museum. Construction work on the new museum is now largely complete, with the building due to open in late 2008[7] following the arrangement of artifacts inside it.

Location

The museum is located at the southern base of the Acropolis hill, on the ancient road that led up to the "sacred rock" in classical times. Set only 280 meters from the Parthenon, the museum will be the largest modern building erected so close to the ancient site, although many other buildings from the last 150 years are located closer to the Acropolis. The site of the building is directly adjacent to Akropoli station on line 2 of the Athens Metro.

Design

The design by Bernard Tschumi was selected as the winning project in the fourth competition for the design of the New Acropolis Museum. Tschumi's design revolves around three concepts: light, movement, and a tectonic and programmatic element, which together "turn the constraints of the site into an architectural opportunity, offering a simple and precise museum" with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greek buildings.

The building addresses the dramatic complexities of the collection and the site with minimalist simplicity. The design is about the clarity of an exhibition route expressed through three materials - marble, concrete, and glass. Within the unusual constraints of the site.

Although some have attacked the museum's design as too contemporary[8], Bernard Tschumi argues, "Some people have said it is disrespectful to the Parthenon not to have Doric columns [on the new museum], but I am not interested in imitating the Parthenon. I am interested in [achieving] that level of perfection in my buildings, and for early twenty-first-century architecture to match it in its own way."[9]

The concept

Three concepts turn the unusual constraints and circumstances of the museum into an architectural opportunity, offering a simple and precise artistic context with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greece. When complete, the museum, with its exceptional and significant collection of classical Greek sculpture, will be arguably one of the most advanced in the world.

Blue Sky: A Concept of Light

More than in any other museum, the New Acropolis Museum makes careful use of natural light. Much as the daylight in Athens differs from that in London, Berlin, or Bilbao, so light for the exhibition of sculpture differs from the light involved in displaying paintings or drawings. The museum not only houses a specific collection but must also be preeminently a museum of ambient natural light, concerned with the presentation of sculptural objects within it.

People in Motion: A Concept of Circulation

The visitor's route through the museum forms a clear three-dimensional loop, affording an architectural promenade with a rich spatial experience that extends from the archaeological excavations to the Parthenon Marbles and back through the Roman period. This movement sequence is akin to a narrative that develops chronologically from the early slope findings through artifacts from the Archaic period to the Parthenon Marbles, ending with sculptures from the Roman Empire. The spatial narrative combines linear movement through space with artistic and historical storytelling. Movement in and through time, always a crucial dimension of architecture, is an important aspect of this museum in particular. With more than 10,000 visitors daily, the path through the museum artifacts is designed to be of the utmost simplicity.

A Base, A Middle, and A Top

(A programmatic concept turned into architecture)

The base of the museum design 'hovers' over the existing archaeological excavations on pilotis[10]. This level contains the entrance lobby as well as temporary exhibition spaces, retail space, and all support facilities. The middle is a large, double-height, trapezoidal hall that accommodates all galleries from the Archaic period to the Roman Empire. A mezzanine level includes a bar and restaurant with views toward the Acropolis, and a multimedia auditorium. The top comprises the rectangular Parthenon Gallery arranged around an indoor court.

Layout

The entry level of the museum contains a glass floored entrance ramp overlooking the in-situ excavations on the site below, as well as temporary exhibition spaces, retail, and all support facilities. There will also be a multimedia auditorium and a mezzanine bar and restaurant.

The design also incorporates almost 2,200 square meters of 3rd, 4th and 7th century BC archaeological excavations on the building site into the fabric of the museum as an extended exhibit; the replication, as far as possible, of the natural light and atmospheric conditions within the Museum as existed for the exhibits in their original location on the Acropolis; the achievement of balance between the Museum's architecture and that of the Rock of the Acropolis, the historic Weiler Building and the facade of the neighboring Acropolis Metro Station and finally and most critically, the Parthenon Gallery, which will allow visitors to simultaneously view the Parthenon sculptures and the Parthenon on the Acropolis. The visitor's route will form a clear three-dimensional loop, affording an architectural promenade extending from the archaeological excavations to the Parthenon Marbles and back through the Roman period.

"It's a museum inside the city, so we would like to be able to combine the most up-to-date technology and ancient materials. The two main materials are glass and marble. We will also use very beautiful pre-cast concrete. These materials are very respectful of the city of Athens as well as the Acropolis" - claims Tschumi.[11]

Elgin Marbles

Although the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum is not guaranteed, the design includes a rectangular glass gallery that will display the remaining Parthenon Marbles in Athens with the precise geometry and harmonious dimensions of the columned Parthenon, highlighting those surviving sculptures which are absent. The orientation of the Parthenon Marbles, which will be exactly as the Parthenon, and their siting is hoped to provide an appropriate context for understanding their relationship with the Parthenon.

Controversy

In 2007, a controversy erupted over the proposed demolition of two historic buildings. These are in front of the museum, numbers 17 and 19 Dionysiou Areopagitou Street,[12] facing the Acropolis (seen in front of the triangular terrace in the above photo). Mr. Tschumi has been showing a photo-montage image of the space in front of the museum with the two buildings and the four-story tall trees removed. The Greek Government has obliged by de-listing the historic buildings (one is Neo-Classical[13] and the other an Art Deco[13] masterpiece unique in Athens).[12] Protests against the proposed demolition have coming from international agencies such as INTBAU,[12] ICOMOS, and many prominent architects and historians.[13]

At the centre of the storm is composer Vangelis Papathanassiou. He owns the neo-classical house targeted for demolition because, apparently, it spoils the view of the Acropolis from the museum’s restaurant. He has accused the government of “architectural terrorism”. Every entry in the competition for the museum design assumed that the buildings under threat would remain [1].

References

  1. ^ Bill to extract museum from legal quagmire
  2. ^ New Acropolis Museum appeal ruling suspended
  3. ^ Plan B for Acropolis Museum?
  4. ^ Ex-minister calls for resignation of current deputy over museum suit
  5. ^ New problems for the Museum : Economic issues of contractors delay the construction of the New Acropolis Museum
  6. ^ BBC News, Cranes move Acropolis sculptures, Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  7. ^ a b Athens Press Agency, Macedonian Press Agency, New Acropolis Museum to open in stages in 2008, Retrieved on 2008-10-18.
  8. ^ Architectural Cannibalism in Athens
  9. ^ Acropolis Museum is Back on Track
  10. ^ Covington, Richard (2008). "Acropolis Now". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2008-02-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Bernard Tschumi - New Acropolis Museum :: arcspace.com
  12. ^ a b c "Acropolis Now: Call for help to save neoclassical architectural heritage of Athens". International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism. www.intbau.org. 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
  13. ^ a b c Campbell, Matthew (2007-11-18). "Vangelis Papathanassiou fights Greek gods of demolition". The Sunday Times. www.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-11-23.

External links

37°58′6.3156″N 23°43′42.542″E / 37.968421000°N 23.72848389°E / 37.968421000; 23.72848389

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