Making the invisible visible

The focus is on the transformation of the Old Acropolis Museum, currently unused, and the re-signification and valorisation of the “Persian debris” area which is considered a representative case of a recurring condition in archaeological sites because of its state of abandonment and isolation compared to the other places on the plateau. The southeastern Acropolis area features a complex stratification of ancient and modern earthworks, substructures, and artefacts. This raises the key question: can order be re-established between ancient and modern ruins in such a multi-layered context?

The project aims to restore the Old Acropolis Museum’s original meaning and open the southeastern plateau by revealing its historical transformation. It involves removing 20th-century additions, returning the museum to its original layout with a new roof, and creating enclosed spaces facing the sky. Key features like the external staircase, front porch, hypogean service rooms, and hypostyle hall will be preserved and reconstructed. The hypostyle hall will be excavated to expose the ancient retaining walls of the Parthenon stereobate. A new roof, supported by eight columns, will be added, with a suspended walkway for closer viewing. Demolition of the 20th-century building on the museum’s east side will reveal parts of the ancient Pandion Sanctuary’s foundation walls. Excavations for the extension uncover Mycenaean walls and the sanctuary’s enclosure. The original shape of the enclosure will be recreated with two paved planes at different levels. The upper substructures, incorporating the Pandion foundation walls, restore the sanctuary’s footprint. The project creates distinct spaces: the underground hypostyle hall, entrance courtyard, the open Old Museum, and the Pandion Sanctuary. These spaces, with varying geometries and levels, are connected by new pathways, including one along the top of the walls for views and another descending from the courtyard to the excavation level. Pavement designs evoke the remains that cannot be uncovered.