The Digital Museum of the Plato Academy

​The Digital Museum of the Plato Academy is located in Athens within the archaeological site of the Plato Academy in the small park surrounded by Monastiriou, Telephanous, Kreontos and Platos streets.
The Digital Museum of the Plato Academy places a world-famous story in the place where it unfolded: it brings to life the great philosopher Plato in the place where he founded his school and created his works, a heritage of all humanity. The museum is part of the wider program "Plato's Academy: The Paths of Knowledge", which aims to connect the spirit and importance of the Platonic Academy with today.

The building is housed within a marked archaeological site in a grove with relatively dense vegetation. It is located between a landscaped square and the archaeological park of Plato's Academy. Conceptually, the museum and the adjacent archaeological park are complementary, as one interprets the other, enhancing the experience of the visit.
The building has a distinct but unobtrusive presence, in terms of form, materials and colour, with references to the wider natural and residential environment. It was designed so that there is no need for fencing. The extension of the Monastery, the main access road to the museum, is the imaginary axis of its location. The placement on the plot was based on the architects' decision not to cut trees.

The goal of both architectural and museological study is for the building to participate in the experience that invites the visitor to live: a path to knowledge through a path to the luminous end of the building, as light symbolizes the highest good according to Plato.
The main volume of the building resembles an elongated "box", a structure that opens, is used and closes again. Unique openings occupy the surface of the narrow sides (i.e. entrance and exit), marking a straight path to light. Hinged canopies in front of the narrow sides secure the museum during non-working hours. The main volume is joined by a small secondary volume of different size, height and external cladding.

The entire construction is metal and is broken down into individual sections, multiples of functional construction canvas, while it rests on a reinforced concrete base. The main volume of the building is clad externally with trapezoidal sheet metal in sheets of prescribed dimensions, which are placed with their grooves vertically and horizontally between visible metal guides. The lining of the smaller volume  is made of flat sheet metal with blinds. The color choice of the construction moves to shades of olive green with the aim of fitting into the environment.

Inside, the walls, floor and ceiling are covered with plywood of different thicknesses and treatments. The lighting is general and is provided by a set of ceiling lamps supported by metal pipes. Physical exhibits, stands and equipment are made of wood and metal, consistent with the architectural concept of using two basic materials. Finally, all the exterior configurations of the museum are covered with wood, acting as an extension of the interior.
Exhibition functions are not hosted exclusively inside the building: the museum narrative starts from the exterior of the building, with a route in which time rolls backwards and the visitor prepares to meet Plato.

The first room presents the philosopher as a historical figure and the archaeological site of the Academy. The second room is dedicated to Plato's work and methods. In a small amphitheater dialogues from the Platonic work are visualized, while in a specially designed space the visitor takes on the role of the prisoner in the famous "Allegory of the Cave". The third room deals with the ways in which humanity inherited, "experienced" and studied the philosopher's thought. The exhibition ends in today's neighborhood. The configuration at the exit of the museum predisposes to dialogue and search.
The exhibition does not have a didactic character, but invites the visitor to be "active" towards the information hidden in the digital exhibits. Appropriate architectural design creates spatial experiences, i.e. environments, in which visitors absorb information with all the senses.