The Megalithic Museum is located in Mora’s urban centre, close to a future public park. The town and region are well known for its archaeological findings. The museum intends to be a local and national reference and an important asset to the cultural regeneration of the town.
The old train station in Mora is an iconic building that is part of the town heritage. The building is deeply rooted in the long-lasting collective memory of Mora’s inhabitants and visitors. The project clarifies and enhances the architectural value of the existing buildings, in a gesture of careful refurbishment.
The museum complex integrates the old train station, its warehouse and two new buildings. The new buildings are the main exhibition area (West) and a cafeteria (East). The four buildings are connected through a continuous outdoor gallery that is located along the north side of the site. The gallery resembles the linearity of the old train station dock and it conceptually unifies the project, solving the circulation and the relation between all the different programs.
The main entrance is located at the old train station building as well as the library, IT room and administration areas. The warehouse was transformed into a multipurpose open space, being mainly an education workshop area. The design, materials and techniques used in the refurbishment process respect the character of the existing constructions.
The Metallic white panels that rap around the gallery space and the new buildings were cut out with a geometrical pattern that is an interpretation of Megalithic iconography - a conceptual leitmotif - that aggregates the project and bring light into the space through the day. At night, the museum glows in the dark.
Location: Mora, Portugal
Client: Mora Municipality
Completion: 2016
Gross Floor Area: 1.200 m2
Cost of Construction: 2.200.000 Euros
Architects: CVDB Arquitectos Associados with Tiago Filipe Santos
Works Management: Cristina Veríssimo, Diogo Burnay, Tiago Filipe Santos
Landscape Architecture: Bound - Maria João Fonseca, Armando Ferreira
Exhibition Project: P-06 Atelier, Site Specific Arquitectura - Project Manager: Nuno Gusmão, Paulo Costa; Development: Pedro Anjos (design), Simão Botelho (aarchitecture)
Collaborators: Joana Barrelas, Rodolfo Reis, Eliza Borkowska, Elizabeta Vito, Hugo Nascimento, Ilaria Anselmi, Magdalena Czapluk
Consultants
Engineering: Projectual
Museology: Leonor Rocha
Suppliers
Lighting: Viabizzuno, Getalight
Paving: Castan
Timber Structure: Carmo Wood
Photography: © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG