pedestrian route leading from new car parking space to central town square.
section through new building and historic gateway depicting key areas.
the atmospheric museum is primarily located in the attic of the gateway. the dark, enclosed space allows the highlighted artefacts to stand out.
cross-section through the access ramp of the new building.
elevation from the ramparts.
the newly renovated square is the final focus of the pedestrian route. the addition of water helps to orientate visitors, as well as breaking the vast area into more manageable pieces.
The historical town of Neuf Brisach in the Alsace region of France was developed as a defensive settlement by the architect engineer Vauban towards the end of the 18th century. This legacy can clearly be seen today, in the surrounding earthen ramparts and solid stone walls, the four ornate gates (although most of these now stand in varying states of disrepair), and the defensive star-shaped form of the town itself.
However, despite its historical importance, the town has undergone precious little in the way of development since reconstructions were carried out at the end of the Second World War. For inhabitant and visitor alike, the town seems somewhat stagnant, its historical surroundings providing only increasing constricts instead of solid foundations upon which to build.
The project therefore centred around the revitalisation of this historic centre, a central theme of which was the renovation and extension of one of the existing dilapidated gates into a new exhibition centre for the town. A new pedestrian route was created, leading from a new parking space located on the periphery right to the central square. The route passed through the ramparts, allowing the visitor to experience their spatial and historic qualities firsthand, before entering the town proper through the renovated gateway.
The gateway itself would be reutilised as a museum depicting the history of the town, and particularly its role in several important pieces of combat. Alongside this, a new building was situated next to it, housing welcome, information and administrative areas alongside a temporary exhibition space. This new building was conceived in part as a modern replica of the gateway. The two buildings have the same footsprint, although at only one storey high, the new building does not compete with the historic gateway for supremacy. It is clad in smooth sandstone tiles, which gently mimic the rougher red sandstone of exisiting gateway, and provides a modern response to its historical context, bringing the town into the 21st century.
