Monument to Otzi
Type: Cultural - Museum
Location: Bolzano, Italy
Size: 20,000 SF
Status: Concept Design by Robert Becker
Copper sculptures collect, contain, and curate the life & history of a 5,000-year-old mummy.
In 1991, two German hikers in the Italian Alps found what would be the oldest & most naturally preserved mummy in history. Unlocked by a melting glacier, Otzi - along with a collection of personal objects scattered throughout the landscape - offers a detailed look into the life of the ancient human. This design for a museum in Bolzano assembles and puts on display these artifacts of human history.
Materials & techniques used in the creation of Otzi’s tools are translated into the design of the museum. A series of copper chambers embedded within an existing historical building in Bolzano frame spaces for preservation & exhibition and provide a new and enduring home for Otzi and his belongings.
