Agnieszka Luksik of the Faculty of Architecture at the Wrocław University of Technology has designed a museum in Aldeia da Mata. The project entitled. "Dolmeneum" is a diploma thesis carried out under the supervision of Prof. Anna Bać, PhD.
Aldeia da Mata in Portugal is a place known for its megalithic remains. The student decided to exploit its potential by creating a special object. The name "Dolmeneum" is a combination of two words: dolmen and museum. A major architectural challenge for the author was to create a building that interferes as little as possible with the existing landscape, and is almost self-sufficient due to its location.
"Dolmeneum" is located on a hilltop
© Agnieszka Luksik
dolmen in the center of attention
The author created two courtyards and a museological path leading to the site. The first courtyard - a horizontal one - places the dolmen in the center of a separate courtyard. The cloister is formed by a glass footbridge with integrated photovoltaics. It is a space where tourists can admire a relic of the past and relax. The modern and the ancient intermingle. The created cloister does not obscure the dolmen, gently blending into the landscape. The second courtyard, a vertical courtyard, places the visitor in the literal heart of the building. The observer, while inside, can admire the mysterious nature of the megalith. It is also an exhibition and educational space. According to Agnieszka Luksik:
The two courtyards with each other prehistoric and modern centuries making the eternal dolmen a bonding element between time and history of the place.
project concept
© Agnieszka Łuksik
discovering the megalith
The way the platform is guided around the dolmen focuses viewers' attention on the megalith, and the architecture, made of glass, completely blends into the landscape. This is what the author says about the project:
Initially I chose the shape of a typical cloister, one side of which I lengthened due to the visibility of the dolmen in the clearance in the corridor on level -1. It provides constant visual contact of the adult viewer with the megalith. Children can see parts of the dolmen reflected in the mirrors hung in the corridor. In this way, the cloister-cum-laundry, classical in plan, has retained its original function, which was communication.
the platform is led around the dolemn
© Agnieszka Luksik
The descent to the museum was designed directly from the hiking trail, which softly descends in the terrain. The entrance to the exhibition sections located on level -1 and the exit from the footbridge on level 0 are not accidental. Both are located on the east side, which is the same as the prehistoric entrance. The viewer is ushered into the interior, and his eyes are treated to a view of the dolmen set on a structure supporting boulders. Sunlight gently illuminates the object and creates unique conditions for observation.
A special structure supports the boulders
© Agnieszka Luksik
underground museum
Tourists are guided through changing and temporary exhibitions that inform them about the megalith, as well as the history of the nearby city and region. The process of discovering the site ends with the exit to the footbridge on level 0. The path is completed by continuing the tourist route and looking at the dolmen from a different perspective of the observation shaft.
the museum is located underground
© Agnieszka Luksik
Responding to the problem of climate change, the "Dolmeneum" was designed according to the principles of sustainable architecture with low-tech solutions. When designing the museum underground, the author took into account the use of excavated soil for the embankment of the view, as well as for the construction of the walls in rammed construction.
"Dolmeneum" is an architecture that blurs the boundaries between the observer and nature, allowing contemplation of prehistoric beauty.
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illustrations courtesy of Agnieszka Luksik
