City of Xanthe has a great and far reaching history. From prehistoric times to the byzantine empire and from the ottomans’s era to the struggle for independence during the balkan wars. What Xanthe lacks till today is a place dedicated to the city’s History. During our 4th year we were tasked of designing a place like this and more. A museum - a cultural centre for the young and the old that could fit in the modern city’s landascape and its inhabitants lives. After doing our research and examining the construction site we cocluded in the idea of a box. A large box including a concentared piece of histoy floating above the site plan, not blocking any existing route or space. It would be an optional space, not dominating over it’s suroundings but, at the same time, giving the message “I’m here. Come see what’s up”.  

Given programme consisted of many spaces and functions like a periodic exhibition, workshops, a small library, an amphitheatre etc. All of them should be connected via an entrance hall. Not wanting to build around the box and  taking advantange of the site’s inclination we decided to dig our way in. The box,   containing permanent exhibitions, was placed in the centre, with the entrance hall right under it. The entrance hall is divided in two levels and leads to every separated function of the project. It’s the core of the complex, the place all movement takes place. Therefore we tried to make it a point of reference, a gap that runs through four floors hosting all staicases and elevators.

Space inside the box was divided between thematic unities adressing to different topics and timelines. Those spaces were placed around the main entrance atrium. Each one of them was designed to emit it’s own character and spacial qualities with motion flowing naturally from one room to another. Design procedure has been a game between forming space and light to define motion and points of interest naturaly, with no doors or barriers needed.