Extension of Museum of Photography (+)

The Extension of Photography Museum in Arnsberg is a project that is dealing with the contemporary issue of today's context and the situations that are every day life, through which architecture is creating problems and solutions. The idea of not knowing how the space is created and where it goes and accidentally crossing thermal baths inside of the museum serves only to make a shock.
The PROJECT was created as a part of an experimental thesis which has a goal to explore the most fine and invisible connections in architecture. Creating INVISIBLE and ILLUSION was a goal. Visually the space that was created through the non-intervention does not exist. You can not see it. There is a hidden message of not knowing what actually happened. The problem emerged when all the existing buildings in the 1920-s courtyard were by the wish of the client in the first approach planned for demolish, which created counter reaction of citizens. In the first spatial concepts few solutions show what was the intention when replacing buildings was still a wish. Fortunately, these solutions were problematic because of the insufficient space and heritage.

When solving an architectural problem as a life problem, approach was to leave everything invisible. The space that was created had three times bigger space then it was expected. Advantage is that the underground level beneath the courtyard has linked all the old buildings with its warm connections. The technological side of the project is a problem of how to insert the new in to old making a cut with the materials and the structure and respecting every old wall, door and window. Walking in the Museum you can find the traces and old situations that represent buildings spirit as it once was. Anything an logical is strongly wanted and anticipated.

Entire museum has one additional character in the form a HOT THERMAL BATHS. Placing a characteristic program of the area of Sauerland and the city of Arnsberg into the building itself makes a strong contribution to the site specific in the project. You can watch the exhibition but you can also have the entire day in the hidden level in the baths.

You can stay hidden, you can be seen, you can see the new, you can see the old as it was, and you can say that it was done with invisible and quite architecture, which refuses any kind of spectacle but our experiences.
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