Sudan Museum

Khartoum, Sudan

The Sudan National Museum on the banks of the Blue Nile is a treasure trove of the country’s rich cultural history. The main building, a classic example of late modernism, is home to a collection spanning millennia of civilisations, cultures and religions. The museum gardens are a testament to the heroics of the International Nubia Campaign, hosting a number of temples and monuments salvaged during the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

The winning tender proposal was for a complete redesign of the museum complex, covering the main building and the permanent exhibition facilities inside together with a landscaping scheme including new temple shelters and a visitor centre. The design is routed in a contextual approach using materials defining the Nile Valley in Sudan for thousands of years, using sculpted granite blocks and fired ceramic in a reinvention of the museum ground that provides a coherent and stimulating visitor experience. The design was developed to adhere to strong sustainability criteria, providing a contemporary scheme using the latest technologies while being firmly embedded in local traditions.

Project carried out while at dust architecture in collaboration with Archinos Architecture and ACE Consulting Engineers Moharram Bakhoum.