STATUS
IDEA
CLIENT
Ville de Montpelier
TYPOLOGY
Culture
SIZE M2/FT2
7,800 / 83,959
SHARE
The Museum of the Human Body in Montpellier is rooted in the humanist and medical tradition of Montpellier and its world-renowned medical school, which dates back to the tenth century. It explores the human body from in an artistic, scientific and societal approach through cultural activities, interactive exhibitions, performances and workshops.
The museum is conceived as a confluence of the park and the city – nature and architecture – bookending the Charpak Park along with the city hall. Like the mixture of two incompatible substances – oil and vinegar – the urban pavement and the parks turf flow together in a mutual embrace forming pockets of terraces overlooking the park and elevating islands of nature above the city.
Program
— The program is grouped into eight major functions with the reception hall in the center.
Linear Organization
— The functions are organized along a main axis, allowing the building to merge with its surroundings, creating views to the park; access to daylight; optimizing internal connections.
Linear Organization to Compression
— The organization of the functions are compressed in order to remain within the site boundaries. For practical, functional and flexibility reasons, all functions are located on one level. This compression creates otherwise impossible connections between the functions.
Compression to Organic Shapes
— By multiplying the interfaces between the spaces, the shape becomes more functional, catering to the needs of the building - an adaption that results in a more fluid, organic shape.
INCISIONS
— The incision of the landscape is achieved via a precise and controlled movement, like a dissection, that allows to hollow out, then sew and repair the landscape tissues.
LIFTED
— The architectural crusts of earth are lifted and mingled to form an underlying continuous space of caves and niches, lookouts and overhangs.
ENTRIES
— The multiple entrances to the building are clearly indicated on the façade of the building.
CITY & PARK
— The incision interweaves the urban pavement and the parks turf which flow together in a mutual embrace, forming terraced pockets which overlook the park and elevating islands of nature above the city.
PROGRAM
— Underneath the roofscape, the program is distributed in a logical and rational manner, according to the desired views towards the park, the daylight requirements, the connections to the surroundings and the internal desired connections.
ROOFSCAPE
— The roofscape is conceived as an ergonomic garden - a dynamic landscape of vegetal and mineral surfaces that allows the park's visitors to explore and express their bodies in various ways.
Like a seismic fault line, the architectural crusts of planet earth are lifted and mingled to form an underlying continuous space of caves and niches, lookouts and overhangs. Rather than a single perimeter delineating an interior and an exterior, the façade is conceived as a sinuous membrane meandering across the site, delineating interior spaces and exterior gardens in a seamless continuum oscillating between the city and the park.
A series of seemingly singular pavilions that weave together to form a unified institution – like individual fingers united together in a mutual grip.
The roofscape of the Museum of the Human Body is conceived as an ergonomic garden – a dynamic landscape of vegetal and mineral surfaces that allow the parks visitors to explore and express their bodies in various ways – from contemplation to the performance – from relaxing to exercising – from the soothing to the challenging.
The façades of the Museum of the Human Body are transparent, maximizing the visual and physical connection to the surroundings.
On the sinuous façade that oscillates between facing North and South, East and West, the optimum louver orientation varies constantly, protecting sunlight, while also resembling the patterns of a human fingerprint – both unique and universal in nature.
Bjarke Ingels Jakob Lange Andreas Klok Pedersen Jakob Sand Sasha Lukianova Birk Daugaard Chris Falla Dimitrie Grigorescu Gabrielle Nadeau Lorenzo Boddi Marie Lancon Tore Banke Aleksander Wadas Alexander Eising Chloe Blain Chris Beaudin Danai Charatsi Katerina Joannides Oscar Abrahamsson
COLLABORATORS
A+ Architecture
EGIS Bâtiments Méditerranée
Base
L'Echo
Celsius Environment
Cabinet Conseil Vincent Hedont
BIG Ideas
