Subterranean Archaeology Museum Proposed For Antwerp’s Abandoned Tunnels

Beneath the city of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/antwerp-water-tower-transformed-into-translucent-6-story-apartment/">Antwerp</a> lies a vast network of forgotten underground tunnels, sewage canals and abandoned metro tunnels. Only the non-claustrophobic are brave enough to visit the dark and damp tunnels now, but what if they were brought to life again? As part of his thesis project at the University of Nebraska for his Masters in Architecture, <a href="http://www.wix.com/martinjon/architecture-portfolio#!__thesis" target="_blank">Jon Martin</a> proposes transforming these abandoned tunnels into an archaeology museum. This <a href="http://inhabitat.com/mexicos-subterranean-childrens-museum-is-an-interactive-and-educational-immersion/">subterranean museum</a> takes inspiration from W.G. Sebald's novel, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austerlitz_(novel)" target="_blank">Austerlitz</a>, and explores the architectural foundations of Antwerp as well as archaeology and cinema.

The novel Austerlitz is an exploration of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/architecture">architecture</a> as a narrative and so begins the inspiration for Martin's thesis project.

He proposes transforming the abandoned tunnels underneath Antwerp's central station into the Museum for Self-Archaeology.

Visitors to the museum delve underground next to a reflecting pool and head into the first gallery.

Entrance to the underground tunnels is gained via a cascading staircase below a large void that lets light enter the dark underground space.

The first gallery is a long tunnel of three different paths all leading to the same place and deals with the theme of obscurity.

At the end of the first gallery, visitors arrive in the Main Gallery, which deals with archaeology.

Here visitors will learn the roots and history of the architecture above them through the narrative of their foundations.

After the Main Gallery, visitors travel through a tunnel with cinematic displays of projected historical happenings.

Then they can explore a long narrow tunnel filled with the archives before turning the corner and coming full circle back to the museum's entrance.

Transforming the underground tunnels into a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/museum">museum</a> relives their past, enlightens residents and visitors of Antwerp, and makes an abandoned space useful again.

It is both an exploration of history as well as architecture in an urban environment. Adventurers and explorers will delight in the dark, damp, twisting paths of <a href="http://www.silentuk.com/?p=3300" target="_blank">Antwerp's Ruien</a>.

Model of the Museum of Self-Archaeology for Martin's thesis project.

Model of the Museum of Self-Archaeology for Martin's thesis project.