TATLIN NEWS #53

manages to make some interesting things at the interface between them without run- ning into duplications and self-duplications. Having made several big projects and private houses by the time they won the museum ten- der, they, nevertheless, had not got themselves noticed, as their buildings were too ordinary at first glance. Whereas the museum building became a unique milestone on the way up the architectural Olympus – the huge arresting sculptural composition emerged in the indus- trial district of the fifth largest German city. The point of the concept was to interpret the versatile and striking autobrand into the lan- guage of architecture – the building echoed those specific conditions that became deter- minants of the company and automotive in- dustry in terms of the motion principle and pattern: speed and statics, passion, philoso- phy, enthusiasm, which in that instance as-

ing spent some time here, visitors start feel- ing as if they were in the thickness of a mine, where all these objects were arranged in some secret order a long time ago. Only glazed light prisms pierce the darkness and traverse several floors; they open into the roof and draw sun- light in to exhibition halls at daytime; apart from that, they are inlaid with information and graphics. Should one fully give in to the symbolism proposed by Francisco Mangado, these prisms remind of rays of knowledge pen- etrating the thickness of ignorance. object Museum of Archaeology of Alava | lo- cation Vitoria, Spain | development 2002- 2003 | construction finished 2009 | cus- tomer Diputaci ó n Foral de Á lava | architects Francisco Jos é Mangado Beloqui, Jos é M ª Gastaldo, Richard Kr á l’ovi č , Eduardo P é rez de Arenaza | area 6000 m 2

94    ТАТLIN news 5|53|77 2009