US OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC MUSEUM IN COLORADO SPRING, USA

A Dynamic and Inclusive Space as Metaphor of Sport

Diller Scofidio + Renfro

The desire to become a representative icon of the Olympic Games and Olympic and Paralympic Athletes is what drove the design of the museum completed in 2020 by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The museum complex can be read as a composition of two systems: that constituted by its public spaces and the museum building itself, the absolute protagonist of the composition and a counterpoint to both the landscape and the city. The theme of movement as change and transformation through space and time, together with the recognisability of material, appears to be the fil rouge that runs through all of the office’s work. It is well adapted here to the design of a museum that celebrates the world of sport and Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Inspired by the energy and equilibrium of an athlete’s body in movement, the design of the museum is born of an idea of controlled dynamism. The total absence of architectural and visual barriers is a founding concept of the project. The different floors and various areas of the museum are not only accessible to everyone, but designed such that the experience of the museum is the same for anyone who visits it. On all floors, the exhibition halls alternate with spaces designed for different functions, transforming the building from a simple museum into a space of gathering, meeting and entertainment for the community.

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