Studio Adrien Gardère

The Malta Maritime Museum (MMM) is located along the waterfront overlooking Dockyard Creek, an ancient naval base in the Grand Harbour of Malta. Its historic architecture is being restored to accommodate a cultural venue open to the city and contemporary exhibition spaces facing the sea. Echoing the architectural heritage of this former naval bakery and its machinery, Studio Adrien Gardère and Forward Architecture are working to develop a flexible exhibition machine to house a brand new display of Heritage Malta's Maritime Collection.

The museography is set as close as possible to the blond stone walls to become one with the majestic historical volumes. Its large display cases encourage encounters between the artefacts to better tell the story of the cultural crossroads richness specific to Maltese culture. The museography is designed on an architectural scale as a "reserves", an immense silo volume housing a part of the Collections in a transparent way, giving a glimpse of the historical depth of the museum through its reserves.

The MMM aims to exhibit a tangible heritage as much as to welcome visitors to the heart of a living intangible heritage promoting local know-how. It opens onto the city to assert its role in the local and tourist ecosystem.