The Kütahya Ceramics Museum won the grand prize in a field of 212 projects from 14 countries.
The Kütahya Ceramics Museum won the grand prize at the seventh Mediterranean Architecture Awards this year. The award was given from a selection of 212 projects from 14 countries. After the ceremony, Lale Orhun and Cenk Sönmez said they dedicated the prize to the dozens of ceramic masters and local teams who built the structure together.
The jury's reasoning
The jury said the museum takes an approach that “does not merely exhibit craft but builds space and structure with that craft.” At the heart of the reasoning were the translation of the kiln form into a contemporary architectural language, the structural concept of the domes and the handmade tiles on the facade being produced with local masters.
A short summary of the project
The Ceramics Museum is a 6,400 square meter building displaying the city's 600-year tile and ceramic tradition. Seven domed exhibition volumes recalling the kiln silhouette are linked to the city's bazaar fabric by the streets between them. Yellowish stone from a local quarry and 38,000 unique ceramic tiles were used on the facades. In the museum's workshops visitors can witness the production process.
Craft and architecture
On the project 14 local ceramic masters worked with the design team from the concept stage. The patterns of the tiles on the domes are contemporary interpretations of 20 different traditional motifs of the masters. Because each tile is handmade, none is identical to another; this gives the facade a texture that changes with the light throughout the day.
The museum's impact on the city
Since opening in 2021 the museum has welcomed 480,000 visitors, 41 percent of them from outside the city. Local shopkeepers and workshops increased their sales by 30 percent thanks to the rise in visitors. Each year 3,000 students receive ceramic training in the museum's workshops.
Next steps
The office is working on an expansion proposal for the former tile factory site next to the museum. The expansion will double the museum's workshop and storage space and also provide a residency and production center for craftspeople.
Thanks
The award belongs to our client the Kütahya Governorship, our design team, our consultants and, of course, the tile masters. For project details see the project page.
From the awards ceremony
The ceremony was held in a historic shipyard on the Mediterranean coast. In his speech Cenk Sönmez stressed that architecture should be measured not by awards but by how a building changes the city over the years. Three of the masters who built the museum attended as guests and received the prize on stage.
Architecture tourism in the region
Following the award, the museum plans to host 60 groups of students and professionals a year as part of architecture tourism. The office has prepared a 24-page visitor guide telling the construction story of the museum; the guide will be distributed free at the museum entrance.