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A new structure overlooking the remnants of Mulberry B
It’s been 80 years since June 6, 1944, a date recorded in the history books as D-Day. One of the most important events of the 20th century, the Normandy landings, with their incredible deployment of forces, played a pivotal role in WWII, the defeat of Nazism and fascism, and the liberation of Europe. There have been some impressive celebrations to mark the anniversary, including, in June, a new and important step in the life of the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains, the province where the temporary Mulberry B harbor was built.
The museum now occupies a new home designed specifically to enhance the memory and knowledge of this fundamental event in European history. The architects, from the Projectiles architecture studio, have created a structure that has an intimate connection with its context, embracing the surrounding landscape, cliffs, neighborhood, and seafront as part of an overall vision, with each element forming an exhibit in itself within the museum ecosystem. They conceived the new D-Day Museum as both a museum and a landscape, the building acting as an extension of, and a connection between, one cliff and the next, the town and sea’s distant horizon. As a result, the museum appears different from different perspectives, with all five faces visible from the nearby square and sloping land behind it, while the interiors are all about different framings of different landscapes.
The project for the new museum includes a large forecourt – a space defined by light-colored precast concrete columns that’s open to the sea, and steps that lead down to a semicircular terrace and stairs to the beach. The museum portico, which forms one side of the space, is eight meters high and four meters deep. The forecourt is therefore the perfect place to view the changing tides. But the same is true of the interiors, with their huge windows connecting inside and out.
This is architecture designed with total respect for nature. History and the exhibits that narrate it are therefore in constant dialogue with the surrounding natural panorama. Exhibits are organized both chronologically and thematically as they trace the years from the outbreak of World War II to the liberation of Europe. From the moment visitors step inside, they’re immersed in the local history, with an introductory film explaining the museum’s mission. Maps, installations, and more videos highlight the most important events of the period.
All of the interiors focus outwards, a connection that’s further enhanced by the roof, which, by virtue of the layout of the circulation areas below, spans an open space in the center of the building. Besides bringing the history of the place to life and helping people connect with the lives of the soldiers involved, the museum also offers insights into both the artificial harbor and Winston Churchill’s tactical skills.
Location: Arromanches-les-Bains, France
Architect: Projectiles
Client: Commune d’Arromanches-les-Bains
Completion: 2024
Landscape designer: Emma Blanc
Area: 2.220 m2
Photography by Antoine Cardi, courtesy of Projectiles
