MEG – Ethnographic Museum of Geneva

Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Year: 2008

With: Arch. Carlos Loggia, Arch. Ida Libera Mangiafico, Ing. Lorenzo Di Blasi

The project for the new MEG is designed to be built inside the garden at the back of the old museum building. The new exhibition area is organized inside the new volume, whose external shape resembles that of a chipped stone. The entrance leads directly to the central hall designed as a large covered square. The museum’s functions are organized in separate volumes, hanging on the space of the hall. A library for visitors is placed at the last level of the building and out of this a large panoramic internal terrace. The space between the building envelope and the different areas of the museum houses the emergency stairs. The external cladding is made of perforated metal panels, in such a way as to keep the interior volumes visible from the outside, both at night and during the day. This cladding has the task to create an effective shielding to direct sunlight without limiting its transparency. Within the part of the old building, previously dedicated to the museum, all the required offices are located. Two external elevators, located near the existing internal stairs, connect the different floors vertically.