One, in Nimes, will be built according to the design of Elisabeth de Portzamparc, the other, in Narbonne, by Norman Foster's bureau. Both projects were selected through international competitions.
The Portzampark building will be erected next to one of the main attractions of the city - the Roman amphitheater, the so-called Nimes arena. The museum will occupy a long-empty area on the site of the ancient gate, where the border between the historical and modern parts of Nîmes passes. The structure gently opposes itself to the ancient monument: its oval plan is rectangular, the verticalism of the arches is the horizontal ribbons of the outer layer of the facade.
The first floor will be transparent so as not to obstruct the views of the arena from the neighboring streets. A "street" will be laid through the museum, leading to a new archaeological park behind it: in the depths of the quarter, the remains of Roman fortifications have been preserved. It will be possible to walk along this path through the building even when the museum is closed.
The inner “street” runs through the atrium, where for the first time a fragment of the temple pediment will be displayed at the sacred spring, the main shrine of ancient Nîmes. Also, the public for the first time will get acquainted with many other exhibits, for which there was no place in the museum before. Elisabeth de Portzamparc will also design the exposition, after which visitors will be able to climb the green roof of the museum and admire the views of the city.
Construction is scheduled for 2014–2017. Portzampark rivals in the final of the competition were Rudy Ricciotti and Richard Mayer.
Norman Foster had already built the dialogue between antiquity and modernity in Nimes in the form of his Carre d'art, and for Narbonne he proposed a simple one-story building with a deep roof. As a result, a shady square will emerge around the Roman Museum. The interior will be illuminated through the holes in the roof and glazing strips going over the top of the walls.
The central area of the building, given to researchers and restorers, will be closed around the perimeter by a "wall" of more than 1000 Roman tombstone reliefs. The free system of exhibiting will allow them to be swapped according to the needs of the museum, and through the gaps between them, visitors will be able to see the work of employees.
The building will also house the halls of the permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions, a multimedia educational center and a library. A French park and a Roman garden will be built around, an open-air amphitheater will be arranged.
