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The symbol of the Column within the history of the Romanians has a mythical dimension. The amazing story of the peasant Badea Cartan going to Rome to connect and be connected with the foundation of the Dacian Latinity: the project of building the Column that is lasting for 150 years, time dimension that can be compared with the building of Gothic cathedrals; all these legends put this Copy of the Trajan Column with its own history at the centre, as a milestone and iconic image of The History of this nation. | Hence it is a natural choice to build the entire museum around The Column. | But this is a copy! It is just a copy. A copy always remains as a copy, and no matter if it is or isn’t Place Vendome or another famous place it will not be the same as the original in the Trajan’s Forum. The history of the other Trajan’s Column in Place Vendome, Paris, certifies of the fragile status of a copy when it is deemed to be “a monument”. | But this should not be the case here. | What matters is the ‘written-in-stone’ history that stays. What also matters is how to bring this history alive again. How to make it visible to the public, how to let it follow the Roman conquest, stage by stage, in a spiral that led to the new era, the Latin civilisation of the Area. This is a huge papyrus that we, mortal humans, are supposed to read by building a structure around it. Then, after reading it, it becomes more understandable and it radiates in the entire nearby area. However it should also be read as a document and seen as a … Kaleidoscope. | Through It the scenes of the Column will dismantle themselves and travel through the space of the courtyard. | This should be the layout of the project; a place for a column. Let’s not build an amphitheater for those who want to see the monument, but an Anatomical Theatre as those of the Baroque period, a place for students not for worshippers. | The scenic ‘mis-en-place’ is there. A large peristyle links the inner yard with Calea Victoriei Street. The gates lead to the pedestrian zone of the old city. The Nave (‘Naos’) is there. Europe has got this space in the British Museum and in the inner covered places of other classic museums. Let it be here too. The decision is to open the doors of the building and to have a public open space from the Entrance in Calea Victoriei to the entrances in Postei, covering the inner court with a glazed membrane that takes different shapes. | The artefacts of the museum shouldn’t be dead matter. Bringing them alive is the purpose of Restoration. This is an activity that should be seen and should interact with the public. Hence the other decision is to make the Restoration Work visible and to link it with the visitors. Then, the first basement level is to be a place for encounters between visitors and Restoration. All the restoration workshops have large bays toward the public space.These public spaces are fitted with the classrooms for School groups and connected activities. The Reference area will no longer be a buried treasure but one of the jewels on which the rest of the Museums lays. | A minimalistic approach to interventions in the Monumental 19th century Building is another principle. The building is keeping its aspect of a large bureaucratic institution and this is not to be destroyed; because in the end, the History also absorbs that of the Postal service. Hence interventions are kept in clarifying the grand design of the building and facilitating the routes. The stairs and lifts are there to serve the different spaces but the building remains the one that delivered the post. The grand intervention here is the opening of the claustrophobic museum space toward the inner courtyard. Further interventions consist of transforming the roofs over the balconies on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors; these are areas where the visitors stop and return to continue their tour. | The top of the building is to be the fulfilment of the journey, and it is prepared to be so. On the last level of each side of the complex there are spaces that await to become significant. The domes at the front of the building will become cafeterias; the addition of mechanical devices will open the sides of the domes allow a panoramic view of the old city of Bucharest. | Both Auditorium and Library will be accessible by the ramp that surrounds the Column. The movement will continue with paths suspended from the ceiling providing this space with the required importance. | Terraces will be formed by extending the roof to float over the building; these terraces will lead to panoramic views over Stavropoleos church, St. Dumitru church and square and over the inner courtyard. These spaces will become social lounges providing the necessary meeting areas. | Mixing the transit function with the liveable space concept in this 50.000 sqm area could be an issue. There is a major risk of this space becoming a pilgrimage area which does not enable the interaction with living history but with a dead one instead. The history has to stay alive inside this perimeter. | The Museum should come to life as a vast lounge area where students and tourists meet, discover and recreate the History. However accessibility is an essential part of this. As we have pointed out, the ground floor level is mainly open for the public interested in history but it is also dedicated to those who do not have any historical interest but are happy with observing history from the sidelines. This space includes a large ticketing and transit area as well as a large cloakroom. In addition to these for marketing, study and newsrooms as well as cafeterias and resting areas are also situated on this floor level. | The access to the basement level is also free as long as these areas include activities leading to them becoming learning space. | Tickets are electronic and gates are supposed to permit access to different areas on the upper floor levels. Gates are to be installed as well on the main ramp and at the entrances to each section of the exhibition. They will also provide access to the Auditorium as well as to the Library.