Following the opening of the Museum of Fine Arts (mcb-a) in October 2019, this new building situated at the end of the new cultural hub ‘Plateforme 10’ houses two museums. On the ground level, the mudac is deployed over a large surface and bathed in natural lighting from the glazed light sheds on its roof. On the subterranean floor below, the Photo Elysée is sheltered from direct sunlight.
One building, two museums
The two museums share a single reception space, which creates a horizontal ‘fault’ separating two solid concrete volumes. The glazed fault dilates and compresses in a sequence of 72 complex geometric forms creating a slender void that shelters the space common to both museums, reaching the ground at the main entrance. Along this great void, conceived topographically, the roofline dips downward while the ground plane rises as it turns the corners. Becoming an extension of the public space into which the building opens, this void carved into the two volumes defies conventional notions of interior and exterior.
This building dedicated to exhibitions is framed on its west and north sides by a service building that wraps around the structure to accommodate art restoration workshops and offices for the collaborators of both institutions.
Alongside the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts (MCBA), the mudac and Photo Elysée will open the doors of their new building and inaugurate their exhibition spaces, as well as their joint restaurant and bookshop.
A second basement level shared by the two museums is dedicated to storage for artworks. This new building enables each of the two museums to bring together under a single roof their entire holdings, which were previously spread out over several warehouses throughout the Canton Vaud.
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