The Rapperswil-Jona Municipal Museum, Zurich

What looks like an angular stack of gilded domino's is actually the bronze façade of the Rapperswil-Jona Municipal Museum designed by the architects at :mlzd. The structure sits on the banks of Lake Zurich and boasts a history of over 700 years. The small, fortified complex was built in the late 13th century and a number of the extravagant interiors have survived today.

Most recently, it underwent extensive restructuring in 2011, but will open it's doors to the public next month. Wedged precariously between the old, fortified stone tower and a newer structure sits the new, main entrance, clearly juxtaposing and offsetting the old, “heightening awareness for the threshold to the latter.” The newly constructed rooms are an extension of the museum’s spectrum in terms of space, operations and possibilities available to the curator. “The shape of the new building has been developed out of the lateral façades of the old buildings. Its façade and roof have been designed in such a way that the existing windows and doors of the old buildings are not intersected anywhere.” The Rapperswil-Jona Museum is a journey in discovery, the structure is a legacy itself and stepping foot inside is a trip into the past.

Photography: :mlzd