THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM COMPETITION mark shapiro and brad clark
Our approach to the design of the Grand Egyptian Museum establishes continuity with ancient and contemporary Egyptian culture through the lens of a modern architectural language that is informed by both, the past, the present and a sense of place.
The museum is sited on the highest area of the site on the diagonal axis of the pyramid of Cheops. The footprint of the exhibition space, and its associated circulation, duplicates that of this pyramid and is rotated through ninety degrees. The horizontal space of the museum is in strong contrast to the vertical mass of the pyramids. The axial, central stepped ramp is analogous to role played by the fertile valley of the Nile in Egypt, as it establishes a central spine with activity on either side. Although the central spine of circulation is focused on the Giza pyramids the total experience of the museum establishes a sense of the entire physical and cultural landscape of Egypt.
The low lying and more fertile areas on the north east edge of the site are planned for the Theme Park, Equipped Park and Nile Park. They are organized as a series of irrigated terraces through which visitors will move as they ascend the escarpment. The area of the plateau is developed as a desert park. The museum is screened from the dust, heat and wind of this harsher environment by densely planted oases of palm trees.
The museum is conceived as a landscape that is connected to its immediate surroundings as well as the larger region. It concretizes the relationships between the linearity of the Nile valley and the desert, both in historical terms and for contemporary man.
The stepping organization of the museum, with views into the storage spaces and restoration laboratories, can be understood as dramatizing the bringing of ancient excavated artifacts to the light.
The sheltering roof and entry portico are related to long standing traditions in the architecture of the region of providing protection from the extreme climate. The grid of columns that hold this roof can be understood as analogous to the sheltering palm trees of an oasis.
Our proposal for "natural" ventilation and climate control is a response to a world in which energy derived from fossil fuels is a finite resource and its overuse is having deleterious effects on the world’s climate. In developing a "natural air conditioning" system for the Grand Egyptian Museum Egypt would establish itself as a leader in innovative, environmentally responsible design.
The elements of the building reinterpret forms and strategies from the history of Egyptian architecture in contemporary terms. A few examples are: The structural column grid with skylight and ventilation devices that are related to the typology of the hypostyle hall and ancient column capitals. The central stepped ramp can be understood as a restatement of the sequence of the Mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. The circular court with its palm trees and pool can be related to the sacred lake in the temple complex of Dendera
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