Designed by Portugal-based architecture studio Hori-zonte, Environment Museum is a proposed building that incorporates sustainability with the use of greenery and reused materials.
Built upon a former ceramic factory, the old brick walls will not be torn down and instead serve as the museum’s walls for the main exhibition spaces. In addition, the old chimneys and furnaces will remain in place, offering visitors a chance to reminisce on the past.
Complimenting the old is a new, modern structure featuring a large topographic roof that can be accessed by the public. According to Hori-zonte, the green roof will decrease the room temperature inside significantly, provide natural ventilation, and purify the air. Furthermore, rainwater will be collected for irrigation.
“This design aims to foster a harmonious relationship between the visitors and their environment,” explains Hori-zonte. “The museum has its fundamental principles of functionality, valuing nature, balance, and aesthetics, offering a new green space to this parish. It shall promote a temporal dynamism and an assortment of experiences for users throughout all seasons of the year.”
“But mainly, it should raise the principles of biodiversity and bioclimatic designs,” adds the studio. “The existing structures of the old ceramic industrial halls and the remaining earth should be used as an integrating part of the new design. The old brick walls become the new walls of the main exhibition spaces, like the earth, which can be transformed into the green roof’s soil.”
All images in this article are courtesy of Hori-zonte.
