The new museum building represents a new, vibrant cultural centre in Kiev. As a walk-in structure, the building integrates itself into the public space. Open and inviting, the museum is accessible from all sides.
The glass façade visually dissolves the boundary between inside and outside. It adapts to the space and creates different entry and exit situations. The result is a place for community and exchange.
The design arranges cuboids of varying dimensions in a spiral around the light-flooded atrium, where the Yolka, the centrepiece of the exhibition, is displayed. The internal spatial structure results from the topographical elevation gradation.
The central ramp in the interior is oriented directly towards the Maidan. Elevated, staggered boxes offer views of the surroundings. Their staggered arrangement, determined by their use, structures the building complex and gives it its identity-defining form.
The ground floor is a public area. It features a café and museum shop and can be used as a forum for events. To give the curator complete freedom in staging exhibitions, the exhibition area is designed as a contiguous, flexibly configurable space.
Spatial thresholds and boundaries are avoided, with the focus on the inclusion of all visitors. Transitions between the individual room zones are fluid. Visitors do not follow a set route, but explore the exhibition independently.
A transparent, translucent layer of glass tubes surrounds the buildings. They are positioned at varying distances and densities in front of the actual façade. This creates a unique silhouette of light that glows at night and shimmers in daylight depending on the season, complementing the city of Kiev with a building that radiates transparency and openness.
Competition:
Specialist planners:
Knippers Helbig GmbH, Stuttgart (Structural design)
Topotek 1, Berlin (Landscape design)
Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, Munich (Energy planning)
hhpberlin, Munich (Fireproofing)
Matthes Max Modellbau GmbH, Munich (Model making)
Visualization:
Forbes Massie Studio, London