Museum of Roman Civilization in Dobrogea | Tropaeum Traiani

UAUIM - Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning

Project idea

I started this exercise to take a step forward in a field too little explored in architecture, that of the archaeological heritage. The actual context in Romania is determined by an increasingly acute crisis that the national archaeological heritage is going through. Numerous archeological sites from all over the country are often abandoned, insufficiently mapped, or protected, a situation in which my project wants to take a stand towards emphasizing the former glory of historical sites. As well, the subject that I chose was shaped around a personal nostalgia that I have for the archeological sites from the southeastern part of the country, a region called Dobrogea, of which the site from Adamclisi, Tropaeum Traiani, occupies a special position. It was the center of the territory in ancient times. I have a special sensitivity for it especially because I had the chance to visit it several times and I consider this place a concentration point for the past memory of this territory. The archeological ensemble consists of the military settlement Tropaeum Traiani, which played an important role in the defense system of the Roman Empire, being part of the Danube fortification line and the triumphal monument dedicated to a very important moment for the national history, the battle between the Dacians and the Romans. To confirm the special importance of the victory of the Romans here, led by Emperor Trajan, some specific scenes related to this moment are even found among the sequences on Trajan's column. Therefore, here, the need for an architectural intervention is obvious, in order to mark this place on the international archeological sites map.

Project description

A swot analysis helped me to investigate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the internal and external environment after which I oriented the project strategy. The goal set is to recover and enhance the historical heritage and the memory of the place to mark this archeological ensemble even on the international map of historical sites. I also created a diagram with the current concerns of the museum program and I identified the main things that need to be improved in the new proposal which generally refers to the museum's ability to be interactive and to help the interaction between the visitor and the site compared to the old museum which fulfills the main functions of exhibiting and archiving.
Then, a landscape analysis speculates the favorable places created by the specific topography in order to build certain visibility relations between the new museum and the monuments. The relief is characterized by several level differences formed by the limestones and also by the terraces built for the vine cultures. Some places could have good or poor visibility towards archeological sites but I also paid attention to those parts with an access opportunity as well. It can be seen the advantage offered by the topography which favors the orientation towards the fortress and the fact that the most convenient views are from the triumphal monument part, which is located on the highest plateau. In the same logic that the Romanians had, I considered this plateau, a place convenient for my proposal both according to achieve the wished visibility connection between the new museum and the elements of the archeological ensemble, but also for the accessibility aspects. Furthermore, this place presents the advantage of an already shaped focus point for the public space in the area of the monument, especially on the left side of the access axis in which now is a garden park I considered potential to be explored.
As a result of all previous analyses, the project considers relocating the current museum in this place, especially because, above all, the new museum must establish connections with the particular site, to explore the potential of the context and recover unseen elements that make up the memory of the place. As I discussed with a local researcher, in a personal interview from which I extracted a phrase here, an in-site museum will always complete museum experience the most.
Because the priority was the integration in the specific landscape and to have a very little intrusive attitude towards the monument, the location for the proposal is exactly on the land flow line and emphasizes the step sequence of the special topography.
The general concept of the building follows some of the elements visible in the specific ancient roman architecture of the fortress and also the most significant element of the landscape that I took over in the interior organization of the space imagining the natural steps completed by a gradient of the interior space of the museum.

Technical information

The position of the proposal follows the order of the major axis to the monument, on the left side of it, with a very little intrusive access path which is a very soft incision through the terrain, also in the visitors' way logic that I thought about. It starts with the most present object, the triumphal monument, then the place of the tumulus, and then the museum which completes the memory of this place. The proportion of green and mineral parts are to the advantage of the natural element, I support the access axis with a tree layer and I kept the green land for the museum surrounding areas.
The museum has three levels that are immersed in topography and the unique orientation fixes the image of the fortress building a frame of the past.
The general volume is as non-intrusive as possible, without affecting the dominant presence of the monument and integrating the existing landscape.
The museum tour is in a permanent continuity with the landscape that opens here and determines the act of reflection on the past in front of the ancient settlement image and the surroundings that make up the memory of the place.

Finally, the sustainable component has been achieved. First of all, I thought about the solar input in different seasons so as to achieve an efficient use in terms of shading and heating of indoor spaces. Another aspect is related to the carbon footprint of the building I tried to reduce by planting the roof terrace, using a local and low level of volatile compounds materials. Then, I choose the heating and cooling systems that use energy from the ground and also designing opening surfaces of the building between the north and south side to have natural cross ventilation.

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