Müritzeum

Swedish office Wingårdh won an invited competition for the Müritzeum, a science and visitor centre hosting exhibitions, experiments and aquariums. It is composed of two cones, slightly shifted in plan. From the outside, the large black structure makes a mysterious impression, due to its closed form and the material used for the façade, charcoaled wood. The architects have brought light into the interior by cutting the zones open at several places, the glazed entrance being the most prominent opening. Inside, the bare concrete walls (off-form concrete, poured at an angle of 60 degrees) have been varnished yellow. For the façade, the contractor had to find a relatively quick way of charcoaling the 20.000 metres of larch planks involved. In the end, an old machine was found that was capable of charcoaling one side of a plank in three minutes. Apart from accentuating the wood grain and giving the building a richer texture, the charcoal also makes for a maintenance-free façade.