OVERVIEW

This project is a proposal for the reoccupation of a historic military fortress on an island off the coast of Italy. The project brief called for a multifaceted exhibition program focusing on the role of war in human history and culture. This design scheme is titled Trajectories of Peace.

SITES OF CONFLICT

The project began with a very simple operation. A series of sites associated with modern and historic conflict were laid out on a map and drawn back to the site, connecting the existing site to history and the state of the modern world.

MAPPING FORM

A plan geometry was created from the initial mapping exercise. This resulted in an iconic gesture that would ultimately become the form of the upper museum (Hope for Peace).

THE ARMATURE

The program is divided into three separate components with individual architectural expressions. They are connected via a framework (the armature) that organizes the programs into a continuous linear experience. The armature unifies multiple elements and allows for an occupation of the site that maintains a separation from the existing context.

The first program, titled The History of Conflict, focusing on the cultural roots of war, occupies a building at the base of the hill and also serves as the entry pavilion. An elevated modern roof generates spatial volume and fuses the new concept onto the historic site.

The second program, titled Modern War and Technology is within the historic fortress. Exhibitions focused on 20th-century conflict develop and expand the lessons of the lower museum.

Atop the fortress, the elevated Memorial Plaza includes an installation that draws attention to the human cost of war. The uppermost portion of the complex and the third major program element, Hope for Peace, is derived from the “mapping” operation. This form is occupied by a cultural program that focuses on efforts to minimize global conflict.