UNESCO World Natural Heritage, Messel Pit Visitor Information Center

The task of designing a visitor information center for the Messel fossil pit, listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, demanded intense consideration of the turbulent history of the place, of both the scientific origin and the changing history of the site itself.

The stratification of the oil shale as genius loci forms the basic graphical idea of the building design. Like an earthen clod, the building breaks loose of the existing angular retaining walls and, with its significant monolithic wall panels, is oriented towards the pit – the actual highlight of the place. This movement culminates in the overhanging observation platform, from which one has an overview of the research site. The visitor symbolically wanders through the Earth’s strata and enters a unique spatial structure that offers no analogy to conventional building types.

The building itself is perfectly tailored to the exhibition with its specific requirements. The various exhibition rooms in their overall appearance prepare the visitor for the subject matter that they deal with. This is achieved by simple but effective architectural means such as confinement and expanse, light and dark effects, high and low ceilings. The choice of materials was consciously restricted to sober and restrained to avoid interfering with a free interplay between changing scenographic installations. At the same time, a building has been erected that, through its design and the created atmospheres, blots out everyday life and makes a lasting impression.