Olympic Museum back in business after $61m renovation
by Jak Phillips | 10 Jan 2014
The entrance to the museum features a flaming bowl designed to remind visitors of the significance of the Olympic torch. / CIO - Christophe Moratal
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, has re-opened to the public after a 23-month transformation costing approximately $61m (£37m, €44.6m).
Overlooking Lake Geneva, the Olympic Museum documents the complete history of the Games, spanning from ancient Athens to the present day.
A major renovation of the original 1993 building, by Swiss architects Brauen & Wälchli, has virtually doubled the display areas, as well as creating new exhibition space totalling 3,000m² (9,842 sq.ft).
At the same time, a completely new visitor circuit has been designed, produced and installed by an almost all-British team led by Metaphor (master-planning), Mather & Co (museum display), Paragon Creative (creative fit out), Electrosonic (AV hardware) and Centre Screen (Audiovisual and multimedia production.)
The museum - which reopened on December 21 - now features three permanent exhibition spaces, education rooms, temporary exhibition areas, a shop, a redesigned garden and a terraced cafe on the top floor overlooking the lake.
The new presentation aims to reflect the "diversity and richness of the Olympics," and the relationship between the Games and society as a whole, according to Frédérique Jamolli, the museum's Head of International Cultural Development.
Three levels of completely redesigned galleries incorporate the latest technological innovations, using specially commissioned films and interactive displays to explore the history, values and competitors that have helped shape the Olympic Movement.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said: “The Olympic world is at the same time traditional and ultramodern. This museum manages to convey that combination in an exciting and innovative way, and thereby reach young and old alike.”
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, has re-opened to the public after a 23-month transformation costing approximately $61m (£37m, €44.6m). Overlooking Lake Geneva, the Olympic Museum documents the complete history of the Games, spanning from ancient Athens to the present day. A major renovation of the original 1993 building, by Swiss architects Brauen & Wälchli, has virtually doubled the display areas, as well as creating new exhibition space totalling 3,000m²
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