Archiprix International 2001
Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos, Facultad de Arquitectura - Cuernavaca, Mexico
Ramon Prats
Tutors: PhD Julia Taguena Parga, Monica Bolton, Katya Luna, Sergio Martinez, Arch. Ismael Reza
From the necessity of science divulgation, an architectural object design is created, modifying the space in order to solve the activities, needs and goals that this task requires, this is a museum of science for the state of Morelos, Mexico. Science, as part of knowledge upbringing into society, and being shaped by products that supports knowledge diversity, requires a museum as the ideal link that works as a via to compile all this knowledge, and then display it on its whole to society in a specific place (museum of science) as an educational response, integral and multidisciplinary, supported by science and arts, that recovers and emphasizes our identity into cultural diversity; in fact, to create a centre of alternative education, and complement of knowledge by appropriate means such as: libraries, seminar halls and an auditorium equipped in order to encourage the training, updating and development of professors, students and all the people interested in meeting with their history. The purpose of this is to set a field as a centre of social, educational, artistic and scientific impact, sponsor of tourism in state of Morelos, and promoter of children amazement, so it involves schools, research centres, rural and native communities, private investors, cultural associations and inhabitants in general, in its educational task. 'ELEMENTA, Museum of science' emerges from the cosmic vision of ancient Mexicans, the 'ollin' which represents the ages of humanity based on the elements: earth, wind, water, fire, and movement, which is in our era. This museum is to modify the space and create an inhabitable architectural object in which science is to be shown by the elements EARTH, WIND, WATER, FIRE and MOVEMENT involving the levels that prehispanic cosmic vision passed on us: cosmos level, earth level and sub-world level, this as a premise in architectural design and in the museum functionality…ELEMENTA is a stage where the main character(user) has the entire freedom of choosing the route and way in learning, acquaintance and wisdom.Elementa is a place in which to be an opportunity for being aware, a place in which to participate a time for watching and touching.