Architecture

Romania's digital museum merges sustainable architecture with 3D technology

Romania's digital museum merges sustainable architecture with 3D technology
Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum
Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum
View 18 Images
Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum
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Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum
The unusual and chapel-like museum features a sweeping green roof and dramatic spire façade at its rear
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The unusual and chapel-like museum features a sweeping green roof and dramatic spire façade at its rear
When the sun hits the building, its shape along with the surrounding courtyard, transforms the museum into a giant sun dial
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When the sun hits the building, its shape along with the surrounding courtyard, transforms the museum into a giant sun dial
Romania's Digital Museum lights up by night
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Romania's Digital Museum lights up by night
With an area of just 125 square meters (1345 sq. ft), the museum represents an efficient use of space by presenting digital exhibitions from all over the world
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With an area of just 125 square meters (1345 sq. ft), the museum represents an efficient use of space by presenting digital exhibitions from all over the world
Romania's very first digital museum features a dramatic spire façade at its rear
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Romania's very first digital museum features a dramatic spire façade at its rear
The museum is equipped with low consuming LED lighting and the orientation of the windows has been positioned to reduce overheating
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The museum is equipped with low consuming LED lighting and the orientation of the windows has been positioned to reduce overheating
The new museum is home to the latest 3D technologies, which allow visitors to virtually explore various museums and artifacts from around the world
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The new museum is home to the latest 3D technologies, which allow visitors to virtually explore various museums and artifacts from around the world
Inside the museum visitors can pedal away on a stationary regular bike which has a motion sensor on the back wheel and is hooked up to a digital screen
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Inside the museum visitors can pedal away on a stationary regular bike which has a motion sensor on the back wheel and is hooked up to a digital screen
The museum is home to the latest 3D technologies, which allow visitors to virtually explore various museums and artifacts from around the world
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The museum is home to the latest 3D technologies, which allow visitors to virtually explore various museums and artifacts from around the world
The museum's structure was built using reinforced concrete walls and features an aluminum bonded facade
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The museum's structure was built using reinforced concrete walls and features an aluminum bonded facade
Close up of the aluminum bonded facade
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Close up of the aluminum bonded facade
The museum cost €120,000 (approx. US$160,500) to build and was completed in just five months
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The museum cost €120,000 (approx. US$160,500) to build and was completed in just five months
Romania's digital museum features a dramatic spire which doubles as a sun dial
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Romania's digital museum features a dramatic spire which doubles as a sun dial
Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum
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Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum
LED lights illuminate the museum by night
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LED lights illuminate the museum by night
The museum is locatednear the Mures Floodplain Natural Park in Pecica
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The museum is locatednear the Mures Floodplain Natural Park in Pecica
This is not a ship but Romania's very first digital museum
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This is not a ship but Romania's very first digital museum
View gallery - 18 images

Claudiu Ionescu is the architect behind Romania's very first digital museum. Situated near the Mures Floodplain Natural Park in the town of Pecica, the unusual and chapel-like museum features a sweeping green roof and dramatic spire facade at its rear. When the sun hits the building, its shape, along with the surrounding courtyard, transforms the museum into a giant sun dial.

Apart from its unusual structure, the new museum is home to the latest 3D technologies, which allow visitors to virtually explore various museums and artifacts from around the world.

"Visitors can expect to see whatever they choose to see. It's a digital museum and that translates into a plethora of subjects that can be displayed," Claudiu Ionescu tells Gizmag. "One feature that I like the most is that you can visit any museum of the world using passive 3D technology. The 45-inch touchscreens are also an impressive way to communicate ideas."

With an area of just 125 sq m (1,345 sq ft), the museum represents an efficient use of space by presenting digital exhibitions from all over the world which would otherwise fill thousands of square meters.

"My favorite design feature of the museum is the fact that in 125 sq m you can display thousands of square meters of museums, using just a fraction of the utility and staff costs that a real museum has," says Ionescu. "I also like that fact that quite often people come here to see local history and traditions. Pecica is a very old community and they're best known for their bread so a working 250 year old bread oven is also present inside the museum."

The museum's structure was built using reinforced concrete walls and features an aluminum bonded facade. Photovoltaic panels supply the museum with its energy and gray water is collected and recycled via the roof and surrounding paved courtyards. The interior is equipped with low energy LED lighting and the orientation of the windows has been positioned to reduce overheating during the warmer months.

The museum also invites visitors to explore the nearby natural floodplain using virtual or physical means. Inside the museum, visitors can pedal away on a stationary bike that has a motion sensor attached to the back wheel and is hooked up to a digital screen. The user can then virtually explore in real time some of the existing bike trails. Alternatively patrons can utilize any of the 60 mountain bikes available on site and actually get onto the bike tracks.

Excluding the visual technology, art sculptures and other interior features, the museum's total cost to build was €120,000 (approx. US$160,500) and was completed in just five months.

Source: Claudiu Ionescu via Arch Daily

View gallery - 18 images
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