Miguel Coutinho

Archaeological Interpretation Center . Troy

Among the vegetation and in the limit of a ridgeline, arises the interpretation center. Located at the entrance of the lagoon, occupies one of its shores, aiming to observe the shelter for the roman ruins and the breathtaking bay front of Troy. For those arriving, the wide staircase is the evident realization of the intervention, leading us to the first great moment of this archaeological journey. His camouflaged position on the territory serves to accentuate the beauty of the landscape and, at the same time, becomes an integral part of it.

We are, therefore, in the domain of Firmitas. The following space to the staircase results in a pause or interval with which we start the journey through the various exhibition sectors. On this atrium, the ceiling is filled with a black plan. At the background, a large glass plan reveals the archaeological field, introducing the place in an intense way. The orientation of this channel, on the east-west direction, with the staircase at one end and the glass in the opposite, serves to celebrate the event of the sunrise and sunset, converting the two openings to the outside as something sublime.
Inside, it is presented as a sum of exposition rooms, interconnected by ramps which constitute themselves as interstitials spaces, serving as a transition between themes. The materials choice contributes to their great constructive simplicity and formal elementarily.