DOLMENEUM
museum enhancing the historical significance and contemplative nature of the "Aldeia da Mata" dolmen
Architecture undergraduate diploma project, coordinated by dr hab. inż. arch. Anna Bać Prof. Pwr,
Museological path creates a cloister, which was designed in the vertical and horizontal surface. First cloister – horizontal, puts dolmen in the center of the courtyard. Cloister is created by a footbridge. It is the space for admiration and relax. What is contemporary blends with past elements. Glass footbridge with integrated photovoltaic becomes the symbol of modern times. Created cloister does not cover the dolmen, but gently blends into the landscape.
Vertical cloister puts human in the center of the literary heat of the building. Viewer is in the interior, where he can contemplate mysterious nature of the dolmen. This is the space for respect to the history and education through the museum exhibitions. Both cloisters join together prehistoric and contemporary times, making dolmen an element bonding time and the history of this place.
The tourist is being introduced to the entrance and inside, at first glance, he can see dolmen on the special construction supporting megaliths. Daily light gently illuminates the object and creates unique observation conditions. Then the tourist is guided through museums’ exhibitions, which educate him about the Aldeia da Mata history. During this journey human has constant visual contact with the dolmen by the hole in the corridor. Discovering process is being finished when observer comes out on the footbridge and admires the whole dolmen. Fulfilling the journey is contemplating the megalith from the nearby designed viewpoint.
Responding to the climate changes alert, Dolmeneum was designed with the sustainable architecture goals, also by using low-tech solutions. Making project under the ground, I suggested using excavated soil for building the viewpoint and creating rammed earth walls.
Dolmeneum is an example of the architecture that blurs the boundaries between the building and the nature, and gives spaces for admiring the beauty of the preserved dolmen in Aldeia da Mata.
