A Memorial Museum
Faculty of Architecture, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas [UPC]
UPC_The Memorial Museum
Memories allow us to remember fragments of past events we will never experience again. When we look back, we don’t intend to change what already happened, but try to have it present for the coming future. That is why the purpose of creating a “Memorial space” goes beyond telling a story or informing about past events: it tries to resemble actual events by bringing back memories and desires.
For more than two decades, Peru passed through an era of terrorism, which cost thousands of lives: many of whom were innocent civilians caught up in the conflict. Ayacucho was at the centre of the violence and became one of the most affected cities.
Considering this, the Memorial Museum is a public building intended to create a place of gathering, culture, and democracy. Moreover, its purpose is to transform the visit into a pedagogical activity by replicating both physical and mental places where knowledge vividly grows in each visitor’s minds. That is why the museum looks forward to generate this architectural space of remembrance.
UPC_The Memorial Museum
CONCEPT BASED ON TRADITION
One of the main objectives of the project is to reflect Ayacucho’s past beliefs. The architectural proposal is based on the importance of “Funeral Traditions” as part of the life cycle in ancient Peruvian cultures, where buried objects were considered sacred. Therefore, the Memorial Museum finds itself located inside the nearby mountain of Acucchimay, as most mountains are deemed to represent divinities: “Apus”.
Ayacucho’s geography is likewise important for the architectural proposal. The city is surrounded by mountains, one of these being Acucchimay (where the project stands), allowing it to be an excellent viewpoint of the city’s surroundings. Since the main square is considered the most important place in Ayacucho, the entrance to the museum is designed facing towards it, generating a visual connection between the plaza and the museum.
UPC_The Memorial Museum
ARCHITECTURAL PROPOSAL
The Project’s interiors are structured in three different levels. The lower level contains offices, meeting rooms, and an auditorium. The entrance level includes the exhibition area that is divided into a series of rooms or independent modules arranged equidistant from each other, resembling towers or “chulpas” (ancient Inca tombs). These structures and their set up, work as a metaphor for how memory is made up of fragments of unrepeatable events. Visitors are able to re-discover memories in their own way, as they are given the possibility to choose whichever path or “chulpa” they prefer. In the third and last level, we find an exhibition area made up of bridges and floating spaces.
Finally, this memory box culminates with an illuminated garden on its rooftop which overlooks the city lights. The project is intended to be a symbol for Ayacucho, remembering not only past tragedies, but also the transcendence of human dignity.
UPC_The Memorial Museum
