The New Acropolis Museum is located in Athens, Greece, which is a destination for passionate artists and architects along with an attraction for tourists. Bernard Tschumi Architects designed this museum in an area of 23000 square meters on an archaeological site, and the project was completed in the year 2009. Any individual involved with the design of this structure was faced with a dilemma, and that dilemma was created due to the establishment of a new museum while preserving heritage values. According to Tschumi, this is the most challenging design to display a sculpture of Greek antiquity, in addition to the sensitivity of the site, the street grid, and the monument itself. Furthermore, there is an earthquake region and a hot climate. Taking into consideration all these aspects, it leads to the design of a simple yet mathematically precise building.
The ancient Greeks’ geometrical accuracy, ideological clarity, and aesthetic brilliance are the key to its magnificence. There are three main stories and two intermediate levels in the museum. Each part of the museum, the bottom, middle, and top, were connected to each other as a link from the past to the present. Through the glass ramp on the floating base on Pilotis, visitors can view the archaeological excavation and the representation of ancient Greek ruins. Taking after is the slope on the ground floor, showing exhibits from the slants of the Acropolis. The following is the main floor, divided into two areas by the middle portion of the building. The large middle part of the museum includes double-height Roman Empire galleries, and the outdoor recreation area includes a cafeteria. There’s an amazing view of Athens from that space. The top rectangular part displays the marble-Ionian frieze and metopes in the same order as they were placed in the Parthenon during the 5th century BC. One of the most interesting things about the open glass façade is that visitors can take in the view of the Parthenon.
A series of massive concrete columns symbolize ancient temple columns, and they give the gallery space an airy feel. Furthermore, it’s one of the essential building elements for this entire structure. To protect the facility from seismic tremors, a base separator framework was used. While the base is anchored to the ground, the upper portion is raised by cushion-like balls. Optimal illumination is provided by the glass walls, which give a complete view of the Acropolis from and to its reference point. Heat and light are controlled by the enclosure, which protects visitors and the sculptures. In addition to allowing exterior views, the glass façade was made to completely enclose the space. There’s a hole between the double-glazing of the highest floor, so the hot air from the galleries circulates through the glass divider gaps, along with the ceiling, and into the basement, where it is cooled and brought back up into the galleries.
Inside the museum, the journey starts with curiosity and ends with a panoramic view of the Parthenon, which acts as an element of surprise. The whole loop of the visitor’s circulation narrates the story of Athens’s richness. This journey started by entering from the main entrance. The walks on the glass paving and the calmness of the marble flooring enhance the beauty of the space. Besides the experiential approach, there were other functions, such as Amphitheater and temporary gallery also located. The ramp leads toward the first level of the museum, where the display of an archaic gallery. Moving towards the second floor, where the terrace allows us to pursue grains of the city. In the middle second level, the Roman and Post-Parthenon exhibition is located. Massive concrete columns and free-standing structures create harmony in the exhibition hall. Visitors even can move around and perceive from 360 degrees and, amazingly, not a single at a time but even can have a whole vision of the togetherness of the sculpture. Additionally, the glass façade allows enough amount of light to pursue the details of the sculpture. The complete third floor is given to the Parthenon exhibitions, and the building scale of the sanctuary can be measured by the layout of the central core.
It is important to recognize that built forms are defined by many aspects, such as enclosures, materials, and scale. However, the value is here in what is done and what is found inside those spaces. The new Acropolis Museum is a museum that contains masterpieces inside, and the aim of its visitors is to focus their attention on the intricate details of the sculptures. In this way, the museum provides an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the past and present. In this building, there are sculptures from the past, and Bernard Tschumi created the current building with monumental elements that are redefined. Therefore, the same DNV should be said in a different way. Hence, the New Acropolis Museum is a building of the same essence but in a different building language from an earlier era.
REFERENCES
Online sources
Bernard Tschumi Architects (2009). Available at:
http://www.tschumi.com/projects/2/
Katerina Biliouri (2009).The New Acropolis Museum. Available at :
https://www.yatzer.com/The-new-Acropolis-Museum-Athens-Greece-Bernard-Tschumi
Francesca Di Turo and Laura Medeghini (2021).Representational and Authentic: Sustainable Heritage Message through Architectural Experience in the Case of Bernard Tschumi’s Acropolis Museum, Athens. Available at :
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/20/11369/htm
Sreekant P S (2011). Bernard Tschumi-New Acropolis Museum. Available at :
https://thearchiblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/21/bernard-tschumi-new-acropolis-museum/
Images/visual mediums
04_3D RENDER OF ACROPOLIC_Bernard Tschumi architects. Available at :
https://www.yatzer.com/sites/default/files/article_images/1762/the-new-acropolis-museum-at-yatzer_4.jpg
00797_New acropolis museum overview_tschumi.com. Available at :
http://www.tschumi.com/media/files/00797.jpg
03_Entrance with a view of uncovered excavations_Martin Horacek_researchgate.net. Available at :
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin-Horacek-2/publication/292380334/figure/fig2/AS:323919472021505@1454239828809/New-Acropolis-Museum-entrance-with-view-of-uncovered-excavations-Source-Author-2009.png
6974_Archaic gallery_greece-is.com. Available at:
https://www.greece-is.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/DSC6974-as-Smart-Object-1.jpg
