THE CIRCLE

The competition proposal for a museum to preserve and revitalise the ruins of an ancient city that flourished 2,800 years ago.
 
The competition called for an architecture that would convey the wisdom of Carthage, one of the most important cities along with Rome in the Mediterranean, and unravel the history that has been painted over with each change of rulers throughout its long history, so that it could be passed on to the next generation.
 
The circle, a universal form symbolising unity since ancient times, was adopted as a motif to experience the long scale of 2,800 years of time and space and to connect the elements of different eras.
All functions other than the exhibition rooms were contained within the existing volume, and a new spiral exhibition room volume was placed as a symbol of the connection between the past and the future.
Not only is the exhibition space a linear exhibition space where visitors can browse through the exhibits divided into eight eras in chronological order, but the spatial configuration in the form of a spiral that circles twice allows the exhibition spaces of different eras to always run side by side, enabling visitors to gain a deeper understanding of this ancient city, which is a complex mixture of cultures, religions and histories from different eras.
 
The site is located on the top of Birsa Hill overlooking Carthage and offers a 360° view of the city, so the exhibition space is connected to the rooftop of the existing volume and the ruins overlooking the Mediterranean Sea at key points, creating a space where the past and present can be mixed together.

＞Japanese