Extension of the Museum of National History and Archaeology Constanta

Authors’ Comment

The roman thermae in Constanta, currently abandoned and exposed to various harmful agents, generates, both by their deep cultural and historical importance, and by their positioning at the edge of the central area of the city, an important opportunity for development.
By adding to the two buildings of the Museum National History and Archaeology Constanta a third one that includes a sheltering structure for the ruins, the project aims to solve multiple problems: the urban one, vertically connecting the two levels of the city both by an urban staircase and an urban elevator and connecting the Ovidius Square with the Casino's promenade, the heritage protection one, by covering the ruin and turning it into an outdoor lapidarium (as suggested by the consulted archaeologists), and the one regarding exhibition and cultural facilities in the city, by including a conference room and ample exhibition space for large artifacts and models, objects which the museum currently has issues displaying.
Architecturally, the building aims to anchor itself deeply in its context. The terraced volume, which offers generous green public places to the city, responds to the sloped landscape, and the height of the building doesn't go over the ground level of the upper street, thus not obstructing the view and not dramatically alternating the skyline. The plan is a result of the most important compositional axes of the site: the direction of the thermae and the direction of the XIXth century wall which runs parallel to the street and the slope of the terrain. The facades use local stone, reinterpreting the look of sloping, alternating stone walls that the ruins have at the moment, and the museum uses natural light as much as possible, both through the glass facade and through several skylights used to illuminate the exhibits.