Colorado Springs is a popular resort and winter sports center in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, at the foot of Pikes Peak; it is there that the US Olympic Committee is based, and therefore the creation of a museum of the national Olympic movement there was a logical decision.
The museum, which officially opens today, is located on the edge of the city's downtown, next to the railroad tracks, which will be crossed this fall by a pedestrian bridge, also designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. It will connect the building and adjacent public spaces to the park behind the railway.
The building of the Olympic and Paralympic Museum resembles an envelope when viewed from above, although the architects based the image on the movement of an athlete, for example, unwinding a hammer before throwing. Inside there are four exhibition spaces - "petals", connected by a gentle ramp. Outside, the facades are clad in anodized aluminum: these are more than 9000 rhomboidal panels, each slightly different from the others in shape.
The main role in the interior is played by an atrium with overhead light, where exhibition spaces open through balconies. Sunlight enters the halls from the atrium and through the angular “slits” of the “envelope” shell. This lighting scheme also serves to orient the visitors.
The entire museum is completely barrier-free: a wide ramp connecting the floors, a cafe with only movable seats that can be easily replaced with a stroller, a cinema room where two rows of chairs can be removed and 26 spectators can be accommodated in strollers, a smooth flooring that is comfortable for wheels, glass railings that do not block the view, etc. The inspection scenario itself is the same for any visitor: everyone goes up to the upper floor by elevator, and then goes down the ramp.
In addition to a 130-seat cinema room, the museum has an event space and a "boardroom" - both with terraces and panoramic mountain views. The cafe, which can play the role of an educational center, is located in a separate volume with a green roof. The recess between the two buildings is a small "amphitheater" for 230 people, which can be used in winter and summer for public broadcasts of Olympic competitions.
