Museum of survivors “Schindler’s Ark”

Siberian Federal University (SibFU)

Project idea

"He who saves one life will save the whole world"

Brnenec is a small industrial village with a rich history. The textile factory, founded at the end of the 19th century by the Lev-Beer family, has become the center of a number of historical events. The aim of the project was to design an interactive multifunctional museum complex dedicated to the events that happened on the territory of the factory, accessible to both the local population and international tourists.

Project description

A CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

At the moment, there are buildings of different periodization on the territory, which have different architectural and historical values. It was decided to dismantle a number of warehouses and outbuildings. Schindler's office, the German garrison, the Jewish dormitory, the spinning mill hall, as well as the frame of the warehouse are preserved on the territory. The exposition of the historical museum is located on the territory of the old buildings. The frame is a platform for outdoor events. The new museum’s building is supposed to be located in the southern part of the site.


THE NEW BUILDING

The architecture of the new building consists of 10 rectangular prisms with a square at the base, intersected by a red corridor of a complex shape. Each element of the building has a deep symbolic meaning.

The cube is a sacred symbol in Jewish culture. The word "ark" has several meanings. In addition to the biblical Noah's Ark of Salvation, there is also a cube-shaped box for storing sacred texts. The cube is a stable shape. In the volume of the building, it is in a dynamic composition, which symbolizes the Jewish community overcoming historical difficulties and turbulent times.

The red corridor also has several meanings. Geographical – schematically reflects the path of the Jews on the map from the Krakow-Plaszow camp to the Schindler’s factory in Brunnlitz. It also symbolizes the altered course of the Svitava River and the broken line of fate. The width and height of the corridor are multiples of 1200 mm, in memory of the people who were saved on the factory.

The visual appearance of the museum suggests a space for personal interpretation. Visitors can see in the red corridor the bloody path of history or a ray of hope, and in the complex configuration of cubic volumes – a bunch of boxes and the chaos of constant moving.

The museum is a sculptural composition that emotionally affects the visitor both from the outside and from the inside. Window openings are located in the corners of the cubes so they do not violate the integrity and monumentality of the object. Lanterns are installed in the roof to illuminate the second level of the building.

The museum has two entrances for visitors: from the northern (historical) square and the southern (modern) one. The route of visiting the museum and the impressions received depend on the chosen format of the tour.

When passing the route from north to south, the visitor moves through the exposition in direct chronological order, passing through the exhibition halls:
- The factory foundation hall
- The wartime hall (“The Ark”)
- The hall dedicated to the personality of Schindler
- The cinema hall with documentaries and “Schindler’s list” movie extracts
- The post-war time hall
- Modernity hall
When moving from south to north, the visitor moves in reverse chronological order from the present to the past.

The hall dedicated to the events of the World War II deserves special attention. The hall is a two-level space. On the first level there is an exposition dedicated to the realities of wartime. The entrance to the second level – to the "Ark" is hidden, the visitor does not immediately discover it, since the stairs and elevator imitate structural elements. After getting to the second level, the visitor can observe projections of people who survived on the territory of the Schindler’s factory, hear their stories. A lantern covered with a mirror membrane is located in the ceiling plate of the Ark. People in the Ark can see what is happening outside – on the first level, but people on the first level can only see their reflection. Thus, the Schindler's Ark Museum has its own "Ark" inside itself - a secluded space where museum visitors can get closer to the feelings of people hiding in the Schindler’s factory.

Technical information

The new museum consists of ten prisms with a height from 8.1 m to 15.3 m, having a square at the base. All the prisms are crossed by a ground crossing of complex shape, 3.6 m high. A frame structural scheme is used in all blocks, the material is monolithic reinforced concrete. The project provides the installation of expansion joints between the blocks.

On the ground floor there are ticket offices, reception desks and waiting areas on the ground floor of the museum from both entrances.
On the underground floor there are food outlets, bathrooms, cloakroom, technical rooms, souvenir shops.
On the second floor there is a library with a reading room and multifunctional spaces for various events: lectures, discussions, children's events, etc. The second level is accessible without going through the museum's exposition.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE CHOICE OF MATERIAL FOR THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURES OF THE BUILDING FRAME
The features of the territory are dense existing industrial buildings, as well as the proximity of the river and the possible presence of high groundwater. A material is needed that fits aesthetically into the existing building, and also has the ability to resist corrosion. Thus, a frame made of monolithic reinforced concrete will be the optimal choice for this project, as well as reinforced concrete bored piles, which can be used even in dense urban structures without the risk of damage the surrounding buildings.

THE DESCRIPTION OF DESIGN SOLUTIONS
The architectural and compositional solution of all parts of the building is made considering environmental conditions and historical buildings. The designed design and planning solutions of escape routes and exits from the building provide the possibility of unhindered evacuation of people.
The grade of concrete for monolithic structures is not lower than C18/22. The requirements for reinforced concrete structures are set out in EN 206-1:2013 "Concrete".
Weather-resistant (corrosion-resistant) and refractory steels are used as materials for metal structures. The requirements for steel structures are set out in EN 1993-1-1:2005 "Design of steel structures".

FOUNDATION
The foundation for the columns is reinforced concrete bored piles. Concrete class C20/25. The diameter of the reinforcement is at least 18 mm, the reinforcement class A500C according to EN 10080:2005 "Steel for the reinforcement of concrete".
It is advisable to arrange such foundations in areas with high groundwater occurrence, as well as in conditions of dense urban development, when it is impossible to perform driving piles due to dynamic and static impacts on nearby buildings. Piles are installed strictly vertically along the perimeter of the building in corners, intersections of walls, along the perimeter of external and internal load-bearing walls.

WALLS
The exterior walls are self supporting, expanded clay concrete blocks 390×190×188 mm. The walls are insulated with non-flammable mineral wool slabs made of 0.15 m stone fiber, waterproofing and vapor barrier are laid along the insulation.
The hinged facade is made of fiber cement panels of 8 mm.
Brick partitions 0.12 m thick according to EN 1996-2:2006.

THE FLOOR SLABS
The project uses monolithic reinforced concrete floors with a thickness of 220 mm on reinforced concrete drip plates. Concrete grade C20/25.
Reinforced concrete capitals with a size of 800×800×200 mm are supported by columns with a cross section of 300×300 mm.
Two reinforcement grids in a monolithic reinforced concrete floor slab, which are located in the upper and lower zones, consisting of reinforcement with a diameter of 12 mm. The pitch of the reinforcement bars is 200 mm in two directions.

THE ROOF
The roof of the new buildings is flat, unused (slope 3-5o). The buildings are equipped with organized internal drains. Fire escapes are provided in buildings to reach the roof. There are 0.9 m parapets on the roof.
A light lantern is made in the atrium for additional illumination of the two-light space. The light structures are a rack-and-crossbar stained glass system. The modules are installed close to each other using connecting brackets between the rows. A slope of 5° has been formed to remove precipitation.

All design solutions in the project are designed in accordance with the requirements of EN 1992-1-2:2004 "Design of concrete structures. General rules. Structural fire design». During the design, measures are provided for evacuation in case of fire, ensuring the possibility of timely evacuation of people from the building to the adjacent territory.

Created in: