The Design Concept

The design offers a clear vision for the historical building, through finely adjusted interventions that respect strict conservation requirements and integrate non-intrusive, reversible and legible elements.

The new wing is designed as a spacious contemporary patio filtering tropical light, comfortable for visitors of all ages and open on all sides to the City surroundings. From this calm inner space surrounded by an elegant landscaping, a new pedestrian flow has been created, with pathways from the heart of the Museum to the Han River and other cultural institutions nearby such as the Danang Library.

Architecturally, the design of the new wing reflects a contemporary approach of architecture, complementing the historical building’s fabric. It is designed as a porous patio of thin columns and screens creating filtered and a soft light in the museum space and a spectacular destination in the new pedestrian zone in the Danang’s center.

Form and Context

Located on the edge of the large pedestrian piazza facing administrative tower of the City of Danang, the Danang Museum, the new cultural landmark of the city, offers a peaceful destination open to all along the bank of the Han River.

At the urban level, the Museum is a connector, articulating various links between public spaces around the Museum: from new pedestrian piazza to the new Museum itself, the City Library, the Alliance Française, and the surrounding public spaces.

As the architectural level, the restored 19th Century City Hall, and the new additions create a simple seamless composition respectful of the existing context, while offering a visibly notable addition to the local urban and cultural landscape of this central city precinct.

Benefit of the Local Economy

Throughout the project, from design to construction and delivery, studioMilou and TAD, in close collaboration with the Cultural Department, sourced traditional modular techniques, local materials, and local contractors, to ensure more sustainable contributions to the local economy not only in terms of financial and environmental benefits. These efforts also aimed to build design and construction capacities of the highest international standards while offering a clear value for money outcome.

Building a diverse and rich exhibition together

A brief/design collaborative process

While a solid exhibition detailed brief was written by the curators, the detailed adjustment of the brief to the spaces required an intense collaborative work, key to the smooth installation of the collections and the storylines in the spaces. Working hand-in-hand to define the most appropriate ways to select the cultural objects for display and their accompanying narratives was an intense and productive experience for the Museum teams and designers alike. Central to this task was the aim of creating exhibits at once highly accessible and educative, for all generations.

From Curatorial Interfacing to Content Management and Exhibition Making

studioMilou and our local partner TAD covered the following scope: the exhibition design for the Museum included curatorial interfacing and substantial research, to define coherent narratives covering the vast range of topics addressed, including pre-history, the rich living heritage, and cultural objects of Danang’s ethnic groups, life under the colonial regime, recent historical topics, including the American War, along with contemporary life in the city and region.

This scope also covered wayfinding, advising on object selections, overseeing the crafting of all support structure (showcases, AV/IT wall supports, climate control, exhibition lighting and sound system), along with designing beautifully illustrated wall graphics including maps, among others.