Domus Museum
Spain CCC ES
Arata Isozaki
1995
Type
Museum
Tags
cultural facilities, Spain ccc
Visitability
Allowed
Description
In a prime location overlooking the Bay of Orzán in A Coruña, this museum is a tribute to the history of mankind. On the last undeveloped site on the seafront, the project preserves the natural rock presence of the site, allowing the building to appear to rise naturally from the land. It is accessed from the rear, where the museum has a folded granite surface. On one side, a path dug into the ground leads visitors to the start of the museum’s interior tour, and also offers the possibility of continuing the tour through a series of terraces that open onto the landscape. When you enter the museum, you find yourself in a large open space defined by the large curved surface of the façade. This space, where the light comes only from above and creates a cosy atmosphere, alludes to the earliest times of mankind and invites us to reflect on the different themes related to the human being that the museum exhibits. The tour is structured around gently sloping walkways that take visitors up to a mezzanine and then back down to the lower level, ending in the cafeteria, which this time actually opens out onto the landscape. From the outside, you can see the façade facing the sea, which is made of pieces of slate. A large stone sail-shaped structure that can be seen from anywhere on Riazor beach.