Maritime museum - Museum of experience Part 1 Project 2002 Florence Kwun Mei KongLucy Styles University of Hong Kong | China Celebration of the Sea The idea of this maritime museum is to create a channel between sea, human and architecture where interaction is possible. Visitors senses are satisfied in the process of maritime discovery by touching the water, smelling the sea, hearing the sound of waves and seeing the sea view and the sparkling pattern of the sea, through the intimate contact of the sea and the architecture. Merging with the ContextLandscape and museum merge when the reflection of the landscape on the museum and the reflection of the museum on the sea characterize as a vivid picture in this chaotic city.Museum of Experience From the Land to the SeaThe museum is like a bridge not only linking land and sea, but also man and nature. The introduction part of the museum is an elevated massing above sea, bringing visitors from the land to the sea. The way it elevated, the form and the horizontality strengthen visitors' desire of reaching the nature from the manmade landscape.Sea Fuse into ArchitectureMajor character of the museum is the running of seawater into the gallery. Visitors can experience the museum by sailing on the boats while appreciating the hanging warships and the digital images of maritime shown in the ship hall, which can reinforce the dramatic effect of the maritime adventure. The sea is one of the major exhibits, visitors can experience the sea on the boats, floating platforms, steps around the platforms, elevated walkways, which strengthen visitors' involvement into sea exploration. The reflection of the light and sea pattern on the different inclined metal plates or on the exhibits will be a marvelous picture for the public.Movement between IN and OUTThe sequential movement between confined architectural space and open sea creates changes of light, spatial and visual experience. This heightens the emotion of the visitors during their marine discovery.This museum is a place where people can enjoy, remember and experience the dramatic moments inside. It not only gives memorable moments to the public, it is indeed a memory for the visitors because the experience inside this museum is not only intellectual but also sensual and emotional. This museum is astonishing.The project is full of hope for better architecture. It has spirit, enthusiasm and ambition. The student's vision for the museum is alive and poetic.The striking part of this project is the museum merging with the context, and how it stands out in the complex urban fabrics. The museum is like a mirror, reflecting the sea and the surroundings to the public. The intelligence of the student is to make use of the reflectivity of the material to generate a reflection of the sea. And it also echoes with the sparkling pattern of the sea. Not only the museum is a reflective media, the sea also gives reflections. The reflection of the roof and masses of the museum on the water is like seeing mountains of Hong Kong crashing into the sea. Museum and landscape begin to merge because of the sophisticated thinking of the use of the material and the sea, which generates different reflections relating to the context and creates a poetic scenery for the public. The clever use of the mountain as museum's backdrop and framing the sea into visitors' eyes create a fabulous picture. The engaging of the museum into the urban fabrics is remarkable, it becomes the focal point of the city and provides a civic place in this chaotic city.The other impressive point of the museum is the ambition of creating a museum of experience for the public. The student not only explores the sea and the human senses, but also the relations among the architecture, man and the sea. The inflow of seawater into the museum, the boat journey, floating platforms, elevated walkways and viewing corners are the illustrations of the interactive museum. The spatial discovery and the In and Out journey also enrich the museum of experience.The scheme is speechless, because of the spirit of the museum and the heart of creating a civic place for the public to have memorable moments inside.