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Museum Yatenga | OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

David K. | October 18, 2009

Museum Yatenga, rendering courtesy of OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

Poland-based OVO Grabczewscy Architekci has designed the Museum Yatenga located in Silesia, Poland. The museum is proposed to house the museum of cultures of the world, an unique idea of creating the biggest eco-architectural event in Europe.

+ Project description courtesy of OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

Yatenga – Meeting of Cultures of the World is the result of an unique idea of creating the biggest eco-architectural event in Europe.

The building houses the museum of cultures of the world – its primary function based on existing collection of African and Asian art.

Museum Yatenga OVO Grabczewscy Architekci plusMOOD 2 595x446 Museum Yatenga | OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

Museum Yatenga, rendering courtesy of OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

Yatenga is the museum of new type – it is an open , interactive public space, where people can not only visit exhibitions and admire works of art, but also meet each other, spend time in African restaurant, buy or borrow books, enjoy some sports, etc.

The structure consists of five independent buildings – exhibition halls (B), educational rooms with offices (C), conference room (D), entrance complex (E) and guest rooms (F) connected together with the common public space (A). Functional blocks B, C and E are organic, curved-shape forms covered with green roofs – their long, curved walls made of rammed earth. Conference room D is the biggest earth blocks dome in the world – using a rotational guide technique it reaches 11,5 m. span. The tower rising from block B is also made of rammed earth – it houses stairs, elevator , and buildering wall for free-climbing as an additional attraction. Guest rooms are shaped like a complex of African houses – with sky-lights above every housing unit.

All parts are joined together via large, glass and wooden roof.

Museum opens to all continents – Africa, America, Australia, Asia and Antarctica via five gates. Its open plan combines European notion of space with non-European building techniques and moods – all cultures are equal, we try to learn from every culture something special and unique…

Museum Yatenga OVO Grabczewscy Architekci plusMOOD 5 595x439 Museum Yatenga | OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

Museum Yatenga, model image courtesy of OVO Grabczewscy Architekci

The technical means

Yatenga is the biggest “low-tech” building in Europe. Its construction is based on the system of curved walls of rammed earth that support wooden floors and roofs.

All materials used are natural – ground floor is paved with stone, upper floors – with wood. The walls inside are neither plastered, nor painted – the earth structure is visible and “touchable”

Outside the walls are covered with Cor-Ten steel plates – it underlines the fact, that the oldest blast-furnaces were found in Africa…

The dome and the tower will be covered with broken local stone.

Most of the roofs will be green – and accessible to public as a part of public park.

The usage of passive and active solar system is foreseen, as well as gray water system and photovoltaic panels.

Building for people

The importance of Yatenga lies not only in architecture or technology. The most important fact is that people from small city in the southern Poland decided to follow the bold idea and start the journey to other cultures… The opening of the project was a two-day fiesta like event – with open-air concerts, lectures, plays for kids and adults. Dutch artist – Antoon Versteegde built together with 30 voluntaries a 1:1 scale bamboo model of Yatenga – as a symbol of creative force that comes from people who meet together and work together – and dare not only to dream but to fulfill their dreams…