June 11, 2009
Architect: Rafael Moneo
Date: 1980-1985
Location: Merida, Spain
The National Museum of Roman Art was built to display the Roman artifacts from around Spain. It was designed to use the Roman style as a source of style. The entire building appears to be constructed from Brick but instead the brick is a fromwork for the reinforced concrete. From the outside the building tries to not appear massive through the use of buttresses that line the main street facade.
You enter the building on the far end and have to take a turn before you get to see the main gallery.
It is only once you head down to the main floor that you can actually experience the entire gallery space as it becomes slowly revealed as you walk forward.
During construction they stumbled upon ruins and modified the building to include the ruins below including a road that lead to Rome.
Tags: Merida, museum, Rafael Moneo, Roman