Till Gürke
Indianermuseum in Zürich. FH Aachen (Germany)
„Why a museum of Indian culture in Zürich?“. The answer is found by looking at the intention of the museum to clarify the romantic image of the Indians. It gets its meaning by the uniqueness in Europe and is meant as a reference to Karl Bodmer (1809-1893), a famous painter of Indians from Zürich.
The museum is located on a narrow island in the city centre, nearby Platzspitz-Park, national museum and design museum. The narrowness of the island between Wasserwerkkanal and River Limat is supported by the verticality of a row of trees, which gives the impression of a green wall in summer and shows the valley`s width in winter. The row of columns as a counterpart of the trees reflects this image. The idea of transparency and separation is admitted in the solid building-cubes and the open spaces in-between.
The role of nature in the everyday-life of the Indians is an important aspect for the design, which takes place over the island with consideration of the existing vegetation. The location of the overhanging cubes is influenced by this, too. The trees can grow into the building and create a floating transition of nature and architecture.
The elevations of the building are derived from the two-dimentional Indian drawings. This arrangement of floating cubes refers to the adjacent waters. The lightness of the construction is a quotation of different Indian architectures. Same is the exhibition space lighting by two sources: roof-lights and light from the entrances.
The core of the building is formed by the three lower cubes, containing both permanent and alternate exhibitions. The experience of walking through these spaces is characterized by the views from the different gallery levels. Windows and gateways at the end of the cubes guide the visitors in a sort of „walking to the light“ and form a link with the environment.
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