The Lost Villages Museum

A MOCK BURIAL: THE LOST VILLAGES MUSEUM

A MOCK BURIAL:

THE LOST VILLAGES MUSEUM Located in Cornwall, Ontario, the design was dedicated to the villages in Cornwall that was destroyed and partially relocated due to the construction of dams by Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. The subterranean memorial and the new museum are to commemorate the lost villages and communities.

The existing buildings on site were placed arbitrarily; their current location is purely determined by convenience. Due to budget constraints, nothing particularly interesting were done to these buildings other than restoration and maintenance.

The buildings are collected and grouped in a tight formation and “hidden” underground. This move is an attempt to create intrigue for the visitors who will not see the historic buildings until he/she reaches the perimeter of the museum. The “mock burial”l of these buildings are an attempt to challenge the conventional concept of preservation which is the lamination of historic items to essentially freeze it in time.

The new museum building is situated just above and overlooking the pit. The orientation of the building is meant to acknowledge the new city of Cornwall to the East and the locations of the lost villages roughly to the south. The “L” shape is formed at the intersection point of these two lines of sight.

The existing buildings on site were placed arbitrarily; their current location is purely determined by convenience. Due to budget constraints, nothing particularly interesting were done to these buildings other than restoration and maintenance.

The buildings are collected and grouped in a tight formation and “hidden” underground. This move is an attempt to create intrigue for the visitors who will not see the historic buildings until he/she reaches the perimeter of the museum. The “mock burial”l of these buildings are an attempt to challenge the conventional concept of preservation which is the lamination of historic items to essentially freeze it in time.

The new museum building is situated just above and overlooking the pit. The orientation of the building is meant to acknowledge the new city of Cornwall to the East and the locations of the lost villages roughly to the south. The “L” shape is formed at the intersection point of these two lines of sight.

ARCHIVE MUSEUM

ROUND TIMBER TRUSS

STEEL PIN JOINT

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

STEEL TENSION MEMBERS

THE PIT

ISO 1:400

The museum addition serves as the exhibition space

The museum addition serves as the exhibition space for both small and large art works. The exhibition hall has direct visual connections to the pit below and is connected to the pit via a path that winds through the collection of historic buildings.

The functions of the historic buildings would remain the same as they were before. In adition, they would have auxiliary functions to the museum, such as gift shops and special exhibitions.