Type Museum
Location Volgograd| Russia
Size 1.200 sqm
Stage Competition Proposal
Date 2013
Design HENN with KMS Blackspace
Role Building & Landscape Design | Presentation Diagrams

Text from HENN The new Cossack Heritage Museum in the center of Volgograd is devoted to the history and heritage of the legendary horsemen and warrior society, transferring the historic roots of the region into a contemporary forum. The design includes extensively landscaped grounds with a dynamic layout of paths, sitting sculptures and green space. The museum building harmoniously integrates into this scenario. The curved monolithic body of the exhibition area, with a geometry derived from the organisation and development of the interior space, rises from a sculptural concrete podium. The metallic façade consisting of aluminium panels resembles a flexible skin, which tightens over the edges and folds under stress. It evokes movement and strength – traditional attributes of the Cossack horseback soldiers. Wide steps lead the visitors down to the lowered forecourt, where they find the main entrance into the spacious glazed lobby.

The central black escalator takes the visitors through light, color and sound installations up into the exhibition area. The collection is arranged along a helical path that descends on a steady slope. The path surrounds a central atrium and is lined with platforms and recessed display cabinets which visually illustrate the collection effectively. Thematic panoramic projections and interactive screens provide a multimedia exhibition experience and create a captivating cosmos characterized by the superimposition of physical and virtual impressions to form a fitting context for the historical objects. The tour ends at the entrance level lounge with a spacious hall used for events. The forecourt with its wide steps provides an amphitheater as a possible extension to the museum and an impressive backdrop for the museum building.