PALINDROME Our interpretation of a museum is not fixed to the idea of it being one building only. It should rather be a promenade of different types of spaces, lightbuild structures and open floorplans. A place where the local artistic community can create their own spaces for experimentation, production, discussion and much more.
SITE The area of the Kassianos schools and the territory surrounding it on the northerneastern side of the old town of Nicosia serves as an ideal place for a new cultural hub in the city. It offers enough space for new projects and the existing ruins can and should be restored. This area is also part of a bigger urban masterplan for the redevelopment of the old town. BORDER Part of this project is the proposal of a new border crossing through the buffer zone. There used to be a rather prominent street crossing that can be revived. The dead-end roads on the south side leading up to the border are part of the old town sightseeing tour, with many cultural buildings and sites to see. The new border crossing consists of the revived street framed by a few ruins alongside. By making use of the walls it is possible to establish a regulated border crossing situation. The new crossing street works as a spine that connects both sides and has different spaces attached to it, creating this vibrant promenade for the artistic scene of Nicosia in the middle of the buffer zone. CONSTRUCTION With lightweight structures of prefabricated steel frames that are being inserted in the existing structures one can use and extend the original spaces inside the ruins. The shell of the revived ruins will consist of translucent polycarbonate elements. Allowing light to enter the rooms but avoiding the direct views of visitors inside the buffer zone.
Studio Antonas ETHZ
MUSEUM The most prominent space of the promenade is the exhibition hall. It consists of two intertwined spirals circling around a large exhibition space. Both pathways lead up to a wide bridge on top of the structure with view over the exhibition space. Modular furniture and lightweight walls allow the artists to claim this central space and change it quickly into the most suitable form for the current exhibition. The exhibition itself focuses on contemporary sculptural art pieces that are placed on a layer close to the spiral on hanging platforms. These can be lowered down to the ground floor level, where the responsible artists can remove and add sculptures that are being shown in the museum. This space on the platforms is reserved for the resident art pieces that stay in the museum and are usually not changed for a new exhibition. It is possible though that a sculpture starts in a temporary exhibition and is then later added to the resident pieces of the museum which receive a place on one of the platforms. ARTISTS AND EXHIBITIONS The project offers workspace and exhibition space for the organizations that support the local contemporary art scene such as for example „The Association of Friends of Fine Arts“. It should help the people from both sides of the city to be able to express themselves through art that is partially produced in this neutral buffer zone. In addition to the work- and exhibition spaces the artists can also stay in residences placed in the former school structure during their working time in Nicosia.
Palindrome EARLY PROJECT CONCEPT Each side entering the neutral zone through their own specific entrance, Both sides walking up to each other to meet at the museum entrance, they walk along side each other for the duration of the ascent, spiraling around a large gallery of hanging sculptures, being able to see the other side but being denied direct interaction, the way up ending at the top floor of the structure, a platform with great view over the city, both sides walking down on the other spiral besides each other again for the descent, leaving the museum through the exhibition space together the same way they entered.
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
PALINDROME
MAP OF NICOSIA
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
Ayios Kassianos
Ayios Kassianos
March 11, 2020 Layers
PALINDROME
GSEducationalVersion
1:1,128
INTERVENTION 1:1000
0
0.0125
0.025
0.05 mi
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0.02
0.04
0.08 km
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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FLOOR PLAN EXISTING 1:500
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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FLOOR PLAN NEW 1:500
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
exhibition hall
office space
bistro checkpoint
border office
checkpoint
border office workspace
residency
PALINDROME
FLOOR PLAN NEW 1:500
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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FLOOR PLANS MUSEUM 1:200 / 1:500
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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SECTION AND ELEVATION 1:200
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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EXHIBITION HALL
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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STREET OF ART
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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CAFÉ
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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CHECKPOINT SOUTH
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger
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REFERENCES
Patrick Oliveira & Valentin Wenger