Architecture studio Adjaye Associates has revealed its concept for a museum dedicated to west African art, which will be built in Benin City, Nigeria.
Named the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA), the museum is planned for a site in the centre of Benin City next to Oba's Palace ? the home of Kingdom of Benin royals.
Adjaye Associates has designed the Edo Museum of West African Art
The project forms part of an initiative being led by The Legacy Restoration Trust and the British Museum to showcase the history and archaeology of the former Kingdom of Benin.
Adjaye Associates' building will house historic art and artefacts as well as incorporate galleries dedicated to contemporary arts.
It is also planned to feature archaeological remains found during construction and may include reconstructions of the structures that formerly occupied the site. The first floor will contain seven galleries with raised ceilings
"I am humbled and deeply inspired to design the new EMOWAA, a project that will establish a new museum paradigm for Africa," said Adjaye Associates founder David Adjaye.
"From an initial glance at the preliminary design concept, one might believe this is a traditional museum but, really, what we are proposing is an undoing of the objectification that has happened in the West through full reconstruction."
Galleries may contain reconstructed buildings that were previously on the site
The concept building consists of a two-storey block with s...