Acropolis Museum

Μουσείο Ακροπόλεως Acropolis Museum
Established	2008
Location	Dionysiou Areopagitou Street Athens, Greece
Type	Archaeological Museum
Director	Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis
Website	www.theacropolismuseum.gr

The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built in order to house every artifact found on the rock and on its feet, covering a large period of time, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece but lies also on the archaeological site of Makrygianni, ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens.

The museum was founded in 2003 while the Organisation of the Museum was estabilished in 2008. Finally, it opened to public on June 21, 2009. Nearly 4,000 objects are exhibited over an area of 14,000 square metres.The Organisation for the Construction of the new museum is chaired by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Professor Emeritus of Archaeology, Dimitrios Pandermalis.

History

The archaeological site over which the new museum is built - the pink Weiler Building is seen top right, the two buildings scheduled for demolition are seen top left, with the Acropolis Rock barely visible behind them

Εarthworks in the archaeological site in Makrygianni, during the construction of the museum

The Old Acropolis Museum on the Acropolis was completed in 1874 and underwent a moderate expansion in the 1950s. Successive excavations on the Acropolis have uncovered many new artifacts which have exceeded its original capacity significantly.

An additional motivation for the construction of a new museum was that in the past, when Greece has made requests for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the United Kingdom, to which they had been carried away, it was suggested by the British that Greece had no suitable location where they could be displayed. Creation of a gallery for the display of the Parthenon Marbles has been key to all recent proposals for the design of a new museum.

In recent times, the first architectural competition to design a new museum was held in 1976 and was limited to participants from Greece. Both the 1976 competition and one that followed it in 1979 failed to produce any results mainly because the plots of land selected for the proposed constructions were deemed unsuitable.

In 1989, a third competition for the design of the new Acropolis Museum was announced that would be international. A choice of three possible sites was provided. This competition was won by the Italian architects, Nicoletti and Passarelli. After delays throughout the 1990s, work on the construction of the museum based on this third design progressed to the stage of excavations for the foundations, but these were stopped due to apparently sensitive archaeological remains on the site, leading to annulment of the competition in 1999. In retrospect, the location of the new museum was rather straightforward: the large lot of the unused "Camp Makrygianni" gendarmerie barracks, opposite the Theater of Dionysus. The barracks were built on public land and a limited number of expropriations of surrounding private houses were needed to free up the necessary space. The main building of the old barracks, the neoclassical "Weiler Building", has been renovated and houses the Museum of the Center for the Acropolis Studies.

The fourth competition had made no provision for the preservation of the ancient site. These were met to a degree only after local and international (ICOMOS) campaigners exposed this oversight and it became the final competition. The new plans were adjusted so that the building was elevated above ground, on pillars. Competition was open only to architectural practices by invitation and it was won by New York-based architect, Bernard Tschumi, in collaboration with the Greek architect Michael Photiadis. Excavation has revealed two layers of modest, private roadside houses and workshops, one from the early Byzantine era and another from the classical era. Once the layout and stratigraphy of the findings were established, suitable locations for the foundation pillars were identified. These traverse the soil to the underlying bedrock and float on roller bearings able to withstand a Richter scale magnitude 10 earthquake.

As construction work neared completion, the operation to move the historic artifacts the 280-meter (310 yd) distance from the Acropolis rock to the new museum started in October 2007, took four months, and required the use of three tower cranes to move the sculptures across the distance without mishap. Greek officials expressed their hope that the new museum will help in the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.^[1][2]

Location

The museum is located by the southeastern slope of the Acropolis hill, on the ancient road that led up to the "sacred rock" in classical times. Set only 280 meters (310 yd), as the crow flies, away from the Parthenon, and a mere 400 meters (440 yd) walking distance from it, the museum will be the largest modern building erected so close to the ancient site, although many other buildings from the last 150 years are located closer to the Acropolis. The entrance to the building is on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street and directly adjacent to the "Acropolis" Station, line 2 of the Athens Metro.

Design

View of the new museum from Philipappou hill.

"Light Sensitive Glass" at the facade

The design by Bernard Tschumi was selected as the winning project in the fourth competition. Tschumi's design revolves around three concepts: light, movement, and a tectonic and programmatic element. Together these characteristics "turn the constraints of the site into an architectural opportunity, offering a simple and precise museum" with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greek buildings.

Although the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum is not guaranteed, the design includes a rectangular glass gallery that could display the remaining Parthenon Marbles in Athens with the precise geometry and harmonious dimensions of the columned Parthenon, highlighting those surviving sculptures which are absent. The orientation of the Parthenon Marbles, which would be exactly as on the Parthenon, and their siting is hoped to provide an appropriate context for understanding their relationship with it.

The building addresses the dramatic complexities of the collection and the site, with minimalist simplicity. The design focuses upon the clarity of an exhibition route expressed through three materials - marble, concrete, and glass. Although some have attacked the design as too contemporary,^[3] Bernard Tschumi argues, "Some people have said it is disrespectful to the Parthenon not to have Doric columns [on the new museum], but I am not interested in imitating the Parthenon. I am interested in [achieving] that level of perfection in my buildings, and for early twenty-first-century architecture to match it in its own way."^[4]

The concept

Three concepts turn the unusual constraints and circumstances of the museum into an architectural opportunity, offering a simple and precise artistic context with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of ancient Greece. When complete, the museum, with its exceptional and significant collection of classical Greek sculpture, arguably, will be one of the most advanced in the world.

Blue Sky: a Concept of Light

More than in any other museum, the new Acropolis Museum makes careful use of natural light. Much as the daylight in Athens differs from that in London, Berlin, or Bilbao, so light for the exhibition of sculpture differs from the light involved in displaying paintings or drawings. The museum not only houses a specific collection, but also preeminently, must be a museum of ambient natural light, concerned with the presentation of sculptural objects within it, natural light having been that of the original setting.

People in Motion: a Concept of Circulation

The route of visitors through the museum forms a clear three-dimensional loop, affording an architectural promenade with a rich spatial experience that extends from the archaeological excavations, to the Parthenon Marbles, and back through the Roman period. This movement sequence is akin to a narrative that develops chronologically from the early slope findings through artifacts from the Archaic period to the Parthenon Marbles, ending with sculptures from the Roman era. The spatial narrative combines linear movement through space with artistic and historical storytelling. Movement in and through time, always a crucial dimension of architecture, is an important aspect of this museum in particular. With more than 10,000 visitors daily, the path through the museum artifacts is designed to be of the utmost simplicity.

Base, Middle, and Top: a programmatic concept turned into architecture

The base of the museum design 'hovers' over the existing archaeological excavations on pilotis.^[5] This level contains the entrance lobby as well as temporary exhibition spaces, retail space, and all support facilities. The continuing excavation underneath is visible through large expanses of glass flooring.

The middle is a large, double-height, trapezoidal hall that accommodates all galleries from the Archaic period to the Roman Empire. A mezzanine level includes a bar and restaurant with views toward the Acropolis, and a multimedia auditorium.

The top comprises the rectangular Parthenon Gallery arranged around an indoor court. This level is rotated with respect to the remainder of the building, matching the exact orientation of the Parthenon and assuring that the sculptures are lighted at the same angles as if they were set in their original places. Panoramic, double-glazed glass walls surround the gallery completely and provide advanced climate control as well as unparalleled views, from the Parthenon to the Saronic Gulf.

Layout

The entry level of the museum contains a glass floored entrance ramp overlooking the in-situ excavations on the site below, as well as temporary exhibition spaces, retail, and all support facilities. There also will be a multimedia auditorium as well as a mezzanine bar and restaurant.

The design also incorporates almost 2,200 square meters (24,000 sq ft) of third, fourth, and seventh century B.C. archaeological excavations on the building site into the fabric of the museum as an extended exhibit; as nearly as possible, the replication of the natural light and atmospheric conditions within the Museum as existed for the exhibits in their original location on the Acropolis; the achievement of balance between the architecture of the museum and that of the Rock of the Acropolis, the historic Weiler Building, the facade of the neighboring Acropolis Metro Station, and finally most critically, the Parthenon Gallery, which will allow visitors to view the Parthenon sculptures and the Parthenon on the Acropolis simultaneously. The route of visitors will form a clear three-dimensional loop, affording an architectural promenade extending from the archaeological excavations, to the Parthenon Marbles, and back through the Roman period.

"It's a museum inside the city, so we would like to be able to combine the most up-to-date technology and ancient materials. The two main materials are glass and marble. We will also use very beautiful pre-cast concrete. These materials are very respectful of the city of Athens as well as the Acropolis", claims Tschumi.^[6]

Controversy

Construction of the new building (2007) - the glass top level is the Parthenon Gallery; the two buildings in the lower foreground are scheduled for demolition (see Controversy); the triangular terrace behind them hosts the museum restaurant; and the pink Weiler Building is on the lower left

Acropolis Museum commemorative coin.

A controversy erupted over the plans of the new museum and whether it was appropriate to build it on the archaeological site in Makrygianni. Another concern was whether a large modern building would fit well into the landscape.^[7]

In 2007, another controversy erupted over the proposed demolition of two historic buildings. These are in front of the museum, numbers 17 and 19, Dionysiou Areopagitou Street,^[8] facing the Acropolis (see picture, left). Bernard Tschumi has been showing photographic images of the space in front of the museum edited to remove the two buildings and nearby four-story-tall trees. The Greek Government has had the two buildings de-listed historically although one is Neo-Classical^[9] and the other an example of Art Deco architecture.^[9][8] Protests against the proposed demolition came from international agencies such as INTBAU ^[8] and ICOMOS.^[9]

At the centre of the controversy is the composer Vangelis Papathanassiou, who is the owner of the neo-classical house targeted for demolition. According to Greek officials the house obstructs the view to the ancient Theater of Dionysus, which is located on the southern slope of the Acropolis. Vangelis Papathanasiou claims that the real reason for the demolition plan to include his house is because it blocks the view from the museum restaurant, and he has accused the Greek government of “architectural terrorism”. The latest proposal with regard to the impasse is a planned salvage and transfer of the facades of these two buildings to adjacent, newer buildings; this will allow demolition while preserving the facades, albeit, out of context to their original locations.

Other information

• The entrance fee to the museum will be €1 for the first year and €5 thereafter.
• The excavation below ground level continues. The site and process are visible through the ground level glass flooring. The site will be available for visitation once the excavation is complete.
• The Acropolis Museum recently was selected as the motif for a commemorative Euro coin edition: the €10 Greek Acropolis Museum commemorative coin, minted in 2008 to mark the relocation of the museum. On the obverse is a panoramic view of the Acropolis and the new museum lies at the base.

See also

• Museum of the Center for the Acropolis Studies, located in the adjacent Wilhelm von Weiler Building.
• Old Acropolis Museum, now closed and scheduled to house workshops for the ongoing Acropolis Restoration Project.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acropolis New Museum Building

• Official site

Coordinates: 37°58′6.3156″N 23°43′42.542″E / 37.968421°N 23.72848389°E / 37.968421; 23.72848389