The inventive museum that has turned itself inside out

Project: The Burke Museum

Award: Civic - Libraries and museums, Gold, 2022

Location: Seattle, Washington State, USA

Architect: Olson Kundig 

Client: The Burke Museum

Hidden collections have been unpacked and revealed for visitors to interact with for the first time in The Burke Museum’s new building, thanks to its inside out layout which offers twice as much access to exhibits as its previous one.
The museum is home to over 16 million artefacts and specimens - ranging from totem poles to fossils –originating from the Pacific and Coast Salish region. Until now many of these items were stored unseen in the basement. The new Burke Museum breaks down traditional barriers between public and "back-of-house" spaces to integrate the collections and research labs with the galleries, enabling visitors to engage with the process of scientific discovery. Built on the lands of the indigenous Coast Salish People, its form celebrates the history of these communities, being inspired by their shed roof plank houses.

Design highlights

The Scots pine wood exterior and sequence of tall, narrow windows reference forests across the Pacific Northwest and will silver with age. Windows help to frame and exhibit objects from the outside as well as internally, while enhancing connections to the surrounding community. A large central atrium and “smart glass” skylight foster a bright, daylit interior experience, without risking damage to sensitive artefacts. Porous edges, including a 24-foot-by-20-foot pivoting window wall, open the building up to nature. Meanwhile a flexible outdoor courtyard connects the museum to the University of Washington campus. 

Photo credit: Aaron Leitz