Designing a Museum for Materials
Haptic - Result Story
All tangible architecture is born at the confluence of design, technique, and execution. No great architectural work is bereft of it. However, the one element of architecture that not only encompasses all three but also sometimes supersedes them is Building Material. It is the dimension of architecture that helps it attain the physical, tangible form it develops into. The knowledge of its properties, both visual and tactile, its utility, suitability, application, and availability are an inimitable part of both the practice and education of architecture.
The material in Architecture has bourne significance not only as an element of construction but also as an element of aesthetic. This belief peaked during the time of the Bauhaus movement, ushering in a new wave of ‘modern’ architecture that reveled in the display of the building’s constructional constituents rather than its cosmetic concealment. Through various mutations and layers, the movement, or the belief has found its way to the current architecture. However, can this connection between user/designer and material be made even stronger? Can architecture itself serve as a showcase of its own composition? Can add an interactive element to its help in a better understanding of materials and construction?
The brief was to design a showcase for building material in architecture itself: a “Museum of Materials” to promote knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the role of material within construction and architecture.
The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals, and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows:
Iban Carpintero Lopez, Director, EXIT Architects, Madrid, Spain
Antono Vaillo, Architect, Vaillo + Irigaray Architects, Spain
MiguelHernández, Esther López, Jule Potter, Partners, AF6 Arquitectura, Sevilla, Spain
Jose Maria Olmedo Espigares, Partner, DTR_studio architects, Spain
Some of the Best of competition projects are:
Winning Project: Haptic museum
By: Arina Borovikova & Ariadna Avsakhova

Description: The Museum of Building Materials is different in that it is open to all people with any disabilities. The level of interaction with the escoponates is high. So even if you don't have the opportunity to see the material, you can touch it, hear it, smell it. In the very center of the museum, there is an interactive atrium.
Runner Up: Museum of Experiences
By: Eryk Szczepański & Joanna Lipnicka
Description: Proposal of “Museum of Experiences”, which tells the story about the materials through the senses and experience and integrates haptic sensations on three levels - haptic city, haptic architecture, and haptic exhibition. The proposed modest building with town-like scale-spaces is connected with the old post-industrial buildings of the Can Ricart factory.
Honorable Mention: HAPTIC
By: Darya Biaketava
Description: Conceptual project of a haptic museum in Barcelona, placed at Carrer del Marroc street. It allows the viewer to get to know exhibited materials in a haptic way. It holds workshops that allow the participants to receive knowledge regarding exhibited materials.
People’s Choice: The Museum OF Materials
By: Iman Qayssar, Alaa Yahia Mohamed & Hind Ali
Description: It advance information, comprehension and enthusiasm for the job of material inside construction and architecture. Additionally, draw consideration regarding the physical, tactile and visual properties of building material through both the presentation and the structure itself.
Institutional Excellence: metamorphoSCENE
By: İrem Kekilli & Kübra Özden Yalnızgül
Description: This project, which takes material and people like a scene, handles human life together with the material as a background. It creates ever-changing scenes.
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Institutional Excellence: La Roca - Museum of Materials
By: Noran Yasser, Lojain Alfailkawi & Raghad Rezq
Description: A museum that unravels different dimensions of materials, taking the visitor on a journey through stages of the material life and processing, bringing to you La Roca, a sculpture from nature, where everything originates.
Editor’s Choice: Museum of Materials
By: Matěj Hoffman, Svetlana Devyatkina & Jakub Cibula
Description: The Museum of Materials is an educational public place with space for individuality.
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Editor’s Choice: Towers of Materiality
By: Adam Kocík, Hanka Turnovská & Gianluca Ancora
Description: An open structure consisting of eight “material towers”, where the spaces inside enable intimate exploration of each material and the spaces in-between serve for different cultural activities, bringing the locals, the tourists and the artists together.
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Editor’s Choice: PATCHWORK
By: İshak Şimşek & Şeyma Şanlıbaba
Description: While walking on the street, the masses reaching towards horizon consist of massive silhouette and color. It starts to show its surfaces as it gets closer. As we get closer and closer, it takes us in, begins to show its color and details. We touch, feel, and it is now fragmented. Patchwork discusses the distance between us and material, its perceptibility.
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Editor’s Choice: BROKEN BRICK
By: Анастасия Матюшонок
Description: The shape of the museum is inspired by brick, one of the most popular building materials. Upon the first look, it’s possible not to grasp that this is a museum of building materials. The form is not trivial for this kind of museum. Also, the combination of tough materials with a variety of greens could mislead visitors whether it is a museum at all.
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Editor’s Choice: I N T E R C E P T I O N
By: Oğuz Kağan Erge & Ertuğ ULUĞ
Description: Mankind is transforming and materializing its physical world constantly. In this ongoing transformation, human beings' awareness of their surroundings is gradually decreasing. Perhaps the thing that can create awareness within this changing continuity is to stop and look at what is going on. Therefore, stopping is awareness.
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Editor’s Choice: THE MATTER OF TIME
By: Krzysztof Stalmasiński, Robert Machura & Beata Juchniewicz
Description: There is one factor that had the biggest impact on our project. It was the retransformation of natural habitat by humankind. As the most intelligent species on Earth, we are obliged to take full responsibility for our actions. The design of the Museum of Materials encourages people to take a deeper look into the history.
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Editor’s Choice: MUSEUM OF MATERIALS
By: Дарья Иванова
Description: This project proposes a variant of the haptic museum of building materials in Barcelona.
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Editor’s Choice: Haptic Museum: Arca Luminis
By: Lala Leung, Odel Linetska & Kevin Hioe
Description: By using various levels of exposure and connection to the exterior and its modular design, Arca Luminis creates a variety of experiences for the visitors of the Material Museum.
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