Museum architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about Museum architecture

Project • By Planet9 • Exhibitions

Moscow Transport Museum. Permanent Exhibition

Moscow Transport Museum occupies a historic truck garage designed by Konstantin Melnikov on Novoryazanskaya Street in Moscow, a landmark of Soviet avant-garde architecture and a protected architectural heritage site. The permanent exhibition, designed by Planet9 — Museum and Exhibition Design Bureau, occupies two levels: the historic garage above ground and a newly created underground floor dedicated to the Moscow Metro. Planet9 Planet9 Planet9 The two levels deliberately develop different spatial languages. The upper level presents the history of surface transport chronologically, from horse-drawn trams to contemporary and autonomous vehicles. Its principal architectural and navigational device is a continuous yellow... More

News • News • 18 Nov 2024

Lahznimmo Architects creates refined and minimal architectural “storehouse” for Powerhouse Museum

In 2018, Sydney-based design studio Lahznimmo Architects was commissioned by Create NSW (a governmental arts and culture body in New South Wales) to design an innovative new storage facility for the Powerhouse Museum’s collection. The result is a refined and minimal architectural “storehouse” built in shimmering aluminum and raw concrete. Rory Gardiner Rory Gardiner Powerhouse is the largest museum group in Australia. Across its 140 year history, it has amassed a collection of more than half a million objects of national and international significance, all of which are now housed in one location: Castle Hill. Powerhouse Castle Hill is part of the “Museums Discovery Centre”, a collaboration al... More

News • News • 29 Apr 2024

Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos’ restoration of Munich museum finds freedom within limitations

Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos has completed the restoration and expansion of the Archaeologische Staatssammlung München (Archaeological State Collection Munich). Originally built between 1970 and 1975, the museum is considered one of the most distinguished examples of new museum architecture in Germany from that time. The use of Corten steel, then a relatively unknown material, was a hallmark of the museum’s identity. Archaeological State Collection, Stefanie Friedrich Archaeological State Collection Germany’s post-war modern architecture (known as Nachkriegsmoderne) produced “high-quality works that significantly influenced the urban development of German cities,” says Nieto Sobejano Arquit... More

Project • By Elding Oscarson • Museums

Wisdome Stockholm

Wisdome Stockholm is a forward-looking extension of the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm, Sweden (known in Swedish as Tekniska museet). Designed by Stockholm-based Elding Oscarson, the 1,325-square-metre extension has a sweeping and sculptural dome-shaped roof. This timber gridshell structure is the first known gridshell built from flat, standard laminated veneer lumber (LVL) panels. Mikael Olsson Elding Oscarson Mikael Olsson   An immersive interior and sculptural exterior The Wisdome Stockholm extension includes an immersive spherical dome, with high-resolution visual and audio technology that takes visitors on an exploration of the galaxy. The building also houses an exhibition hall and cafe.... More

News • News • 28 Mar 2024

Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo

Global transdisciplinary architecture and design practice Snøhetta has designed a new entrance and outdoor extension for the Norwegian Skimuseet, the world’s oldest ski museum. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023, the new addition provides the Skimuseet (Ski Museum) in Holmenkollen, Oslo, with its own distinct identity, one that offers a pleasing contrast to the impressive Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Thomas Ekström / Snøhetta Thomas Ekström / Snøhetta The Holmenkollen Ski Jump underwent a major upgrade in time for the 2011 Nordic World Ski Championships. Overshadowed by this upgrade, both figuratively and literally, “the Ski Museum has undergone a transformative process to be br... More

News • News • 6 Oct 2023

Wuxi Meili Site Museum embraces an ancient archeological site and the public realm

The Wuxi Meili Site Museum was built on the archeological site of the Chinese Shang and Zhou dynasties. Located in Meili Ancient Town, part of the Xinwu District of Wuxi, a city in Jiangsu province, the museum was designed by the Institute of Architectural History, CADG and Atelier Diameter, ZSA. The Wuxi Meili Site Museum is situated in a built-up urban area, close to the ancient Taibo Temple (on its west side) and Bodu River (on its north side). Sitting amidst commercial buildings given the appearance of those from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the museum’s focus is on telling the founding story of Wu culture. Yang Chen Yang Chen Yang Chen Built on a site measuring approximately 2,000-square-meters (21,528... More

News • News • 28 Jun 2023

The International African American Museum is “an extraordinary milestone”

The International African American Museum (IAAM), a project that has been more than two decades in the making, celebrated its grand opening on 24th June 2023. The museum’s site is both significant and historic: built at Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston, South Carolina, it was there that almost half of all enslaved Africans brought to the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries disembarked. The IAAM tells their stories and celebrates the many contributions of their descendants. Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto   A building on hallowed ground New York-based Pei Cobb Freed & Partners designed the IAAM building in collaboration with Moody Nolan, the largest African American–owned architecture firm in... More

News • News • 22 May 2023

Studio Gang’s inventive central axis unifies the buildings of Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

Studio Gang has reimagined the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) by unifying the cultural institution’s existing buildings with a new central axis. In a major expansion and renovation project, Studio Gang, in collaboration with Little Rock-based Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, reconfigured and revitalized the AMFA, creating an entirely new experience for the museum’s visitors. Iwan Baan Iwan Baan The AMFA first opened in downtown Little Rock’s MacArthur Park in 1937. In the ensuing years, eight additions were made to the original building, their varied architectural styles leading to the creation of a somewhat “sprawling complex”. Studio Gang worked with the museum’s unwieldy configur... More

News • Detail • 18 May 2023

Detail: Red brick and vaulted ceilings scrum together in the International Rugby Experience

The International Rugby Experience is an ambitious cultural project by London-based Níall McLaughlin Architects, built to honor the worldwide game of rugby. Located in the Irish city of Limerick (considered “the spiritual home of rugby”), the project embodies the ability of sport and architecture to revitalize a community. Nick Kane Níall McLaughlin Architects places a firm emphasis on the inventive use of building materials, and on the importance of the relationship between a building and its surroundings. These factors were pertinent to the planning and development of the International Rugby Experience, a project that was constructed over five years and completed in 2022. From the exterior, the 7-story... More

News • Specification • 15 Mar 2023

10 remarkable museum buildings with distinctive façade systems

The design of museums goes beyond its function of housing artefacts and exhibits; their architecture embodies the essence of a place, its culture, and its identity. In museum architecture, the façade system is one of the most significant features of the building. It can provide a visual representation of the museum's goals, convey the history of the place, narrate a unique story, or make a bold statement.   Additionally, it also contributes to the building's functionality and sustainability. For instance, some museum buildings use innovative façade systems to control the amount of natural light, thereby reducing the need for artificial lighting and lowering energy consumption. While some help in protecting the collectio... More

News • News • 30 Nov 2022

Liknon by K-studio on the Greek island of Samos dissolves the traditional idea of a museum

On the Greek island of Samos, Liknon by K-studio is an unconventional museum project celebrating Metaxa, the famed Greek amber spirit brand. The project is situated in a 100-year-old vineyard where the drink's best-known ingredient – the sweet muscat grape – thrives.  BREBA PHOTO-Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Integrating into its surrounding valley landscape beneath the small village of Vourliotes, the K-studio concept dissolves the traditional museum idea. In the place of a conventional building, vines and natural habitats come to the fore. Visitors are guided through the historic vineyard property and encouraged to draw in the sensory experience of the place.   BREBA PHOTO-Claus Brechenmache... More

Project • By Bergmeyer • Museums

MAACM

The only museum in the world dedicated to this era, The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (MAACM) was created by a team of visionaries and designers collaborating to bring this one-of-a-kind experience to life. Supporting the vision of collector, founder, and philanthropist Rudy Ciccarello and the building's architect, Alfonso Architects, Bergmeyer was asked to collaborate on the museum's retail and café environments, signage, and wayfinding design. Seamus Payne Commercial Photography Approaching the design of the café and retail store as an extension and enhancement of the visitor experience, our design team created environments that are complementary to the building's architecture and collection. We carri... More

Project • By IND • Museums

Music Museum in Limassol

The site of the new Music Museum project is located in Limassol, the southernmost point of Cyprus. The city is the second largest in the country and is a major economic, cultural and financial center with a large flow of tourists. The project area is located in a perspective part of the city for renovation and development with an excellent location — there is a constant flow of people going from the center of the city to the passenger terminal.  The area consists mostly of industrial and residential buildings, which creates the need for a cultural and social zone, which will raise the status of the area and become a center of attraction for tourists and a place for leisure and recreation for local citizens. Caption The arch... More

News • News • 21 Oct 2020

Spatial-audio experience of ‘Torn Island’ exhibition draws visitors deep into past history

On the Dutch island of Texel, ‘Torn Island’ is an exhibition space within a World War II era bunker. Part of the Aviation & War Museum Texel, Kossmann.dejong Interior Architects use 3D audio as their primary design tool to tell the story of Georgian soldiers, who five days after their bold and bloody uprising were forced to face failure in the closing days of the war. The spatial audio experience draws visitors deep into a past history that has divided the island until today. Credit: Thijs Wolzak The designers worked together with professional actors and podcast-makers to ensure the audio drama feels authentic. As visitors wander through the bunker, different dialogues between people who were in the bunker that day are... More

Project • By GKD Metal Fabrics • Museums

Kunsthalle Mannheim Museum

The Kunsthalle Mannheim museum of modern and contemporary art was opened at the end of 2017 by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. As Germany's largest new museum building, it is a prime example of both civic commitment and architectural skill. The private patrons initiative – with SAP founder Hans-Werner Hector alone donating EUR 50 million – was what made the bold design at Friedrichsplatz possible. Based on the concept developed by the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, a city within the city was created here, which reinterprets classic museum architecture while honoring Mannheim's historical city layout. The composition of room-forming cubes is visually connected by a sophisticated façade made of bronze-... More