Permanent Exhibition of Transportation History NTM - Competition Proposal

The aim of the design was to let the unique exhibits from the collections of the NTM and the unique space of the Transport Hall speak for themselves. To preserve its atmosphere, while allowing the individual exhibitions on the galleries to stand out. To show not only the exhibit itself but also to reveal its historical, social, and cultural contexts. To broaden the visitor's impressions, communicate, and create dialogue. To open up the museum.
The exhibition concept is clear and well-defined, yet it also hides elements of mystery and discovery. We maintain the principle of galleries, but each has a different character that the visitor gradually uncovers. The ground floor features exhibits from the automotive, aviation, and railway collections. Some elements of railway transport are omitted, and the space is partially liberated. Automobiles are placed on bases with aerodynamic shapes and supplemented with displays on turntables and lifts. The walls of the ground floor serve as a backdrop for the exhibits (photographs, projections) or are freed up for exhibition (train compartments, a car disassembled into individual parts, a grid of individual components of railway transport). The existing robust bridges to locomotives are replaced with light gridded walkways. Motorcycles on the first gallery are displayed on a continuous pedestal, which is interrupted by seating areas, small exhibits, or screens. The cycling collections are exhibited along the walls and along the railings of the second gallery. The remaining space is filled with shipping transport. On the third gallery, representative functional models of airplanes and machines, sketches of pioneers and inventors, and smaller aircraft engines are exhibited. Part of the design includes a passage through a decommissioned transport aircraft and a wooden structure of the aircraft fuselage. Spaces with exhibited exhibits on the gallery are interrupted by areas with various content: study corners, relaxation areas, audiovisual experiences. On the shorter wall of all floors of the galleries, there is a spatial collage, a grid of real objects from each collection. The space is dominated by suspended aircraft, two of which are designed in a dynamic position. Interactive elements (aiming devices, telescopes, rearview mirrors) are placed on the railings of the galleries, which visitors can use to bring these exhibits closer, thus connecting other museum collections (optics, photography, film, acoustics, time measurement) with the transport collection. The exhibited exhibits are supplemented with texts about historical and socio-cultural contexts and period documents (posters, graphics, advertisements, manufacturer labels, etc.).
Part of the proposed solution for revitalizing the exhibition is the accessibility of existing storage spaces. In addition to the method of displaying in the storages, visitors can peek into the car workshops, visit an interactive testing room, and an audiovisual space with projections. The exhibition is complemented by an interactive text band placed on the structure of the galleries. Visitors can generate text from the field of science and technology by touching the computer screen.