CULTURAL OBJECT IN NATURE
LOCATION: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
COMMISSIONED BY: ATABEY INNOVATION CENTER
YEAR: 2011 – 2012
STATUS: commissioned study
PROGRAM: museum
AREA: 2400 m²
POSITION: architect-in-charge
IN COLLABORATION WITH: Shaney Peña (architect associate)
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(National Museum dedicated to the lifework of Dominican renowned scientist EUGENIO DE JESUS MARCANO.)
The place where this museum is set be built is part of the Botanical Garden of the city of Santo Domingo. The main idea behind this project was to draw a place that would guide the visitor through the exhibition pavilions while interacting at all time with the existing vegetation. For this purpose, the project was conceived as an open installation that sits in the heart of a family of 107 trees, an horizontal spiral that organizes the exhibition around three courtyards.
To the north, the Museum opens entirely to the beautiful landscape of the Botanical Garden. The south façade is a long vertical garden that filters the Caribbean sun during the day, creating a pleasant microclimat inside the project. While adding to the existing vegetation, this project also succeeds in conserving every tree prevously planted on the site.
YURI LEONARDO 