The new Paläon Research and Experience Centre, designed by Zurich and Berlin-based practice Holzer Kobler Architekturen, has officially opened its doors. Located in the small German town of Schoningen, this new and futuristic building is here to truly break the grey-box perception of any museum, research centre or gallery.
Situated on a significant archaeological site and world-famous Stone-Age find, the museum brings the world’s attention to the oldest complete hunting weapons ever found-the Schoninger spears.
The Paläon building pushes itself out of the slightly hilly topography and cuts into the forest fields. The volume of the three-story building and the paths flowing from it, form lines of sight that divide the landscape into vectors. A second winding path forms synapses that connect the surroundings. The building is a camouflage-a hyper-realistic abstraction of the landscape achieved through the reflective surfaces with which the building is cladded. The futuristic form of the building takes shape as these mirrored surfaces are diagonally planked across the building surface
Tinted windows are carved out of the building façade not only allowing natural light to filter into the exhibition space , but offering a wide-reached and fascinating view to the place where the spears were discovered, the nearby forest and wild horses grazing in the fields.
July 16, 2013
Design Skolen Kolding
Parsons
Harrington College of Design
University of Cincinnati
LOFT 42
World Architecture Festival
