BIHAR MUSEUM Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Bailey Rd, Patna, Bihar 800001

Maki and Associates of Japan teamed up with OPOLIS Architects of Mumbai, India.
 HISTORY
● Patna is a city with a storied past and this land saw the advent of many
glorious civilizations. The history of this city unravels like a ball of thread that
surprises you with twists and turns as we travel over two millennia.
● The Patna Museum established in 1917 will soon turn a century old along
with the date of discovery of its most cherished and visited artefact – the
world famous Didarganj Yakshi, a statue of monumental Mauryan vision.
● In the state of Bihar, the need for a new museum was seriously felt, the
Patna Museum having limitations, both in physical space as well as in its
design and methods of presentation.
● Department of Art, Culture and Youth, State of Bihar (DACY) proposed a
new Museum on Bailey Road on the site west of the Patna Museum.
Commonly known as the Jadu Ghar, literally house of magic, to most
residents of Bihar, the Patna Museum has celebrated artefacts and
collections.
● The existing Patna Museum was the starting point for the new Museum and
the vast collections from the Patna Museum were carefully researched and
analysed. It was decided to keep much of the natural history as part of the
interpretation of that existing Museum as the large silicified tree that was
cemented into the ground.
● The direction for the new Bihar Museum was provided by the Chief Minister
and senior levels of the Bihar State government. The Bihar Museum will Didarganj yakshi
focus on human history. The permanent collection galleries of the Bihar
Museum have two basic components – the history galleries and the art
gallery.
VISION AND MISSION OF THE MUSEUM

The vision for the new Museum is to be a world-class

showcase for the ancient history and heritage of the lands
now known as Bihar. It will be a destination for resident
Biharis and also for domestic and international tourists
alike.

The mission of the new Museum is to celebrate this ancient

past and to inculcate a sense of pride in modern-day
Biharis.

CONCEPT
● The Museum as Expanse – a museum that reflects the
many layers of Bihar’s history.
● The Museum as journey – a museum that reflects the
memories and epic scope of the Bihar region.
● Museum as Learning Landscape – a museum that reflects
Bihar’s educational needs and
● Museum as Symbol – a museum that reflects both India’s
past and future.
Bihar Museum Is a “campus” - which
is interconnected landscape of
buildings and exterior spaces that
maintains a modest but dynamic
profile, in harmony with existing site
conditions.

Each program zone (entrance / event,

museum exhibition, administration,
and children / educational) has been
given a distinct presence and
recognizable form within the complex.
In the words of Fumihiko Maki, "As the building took shape, I
came to see it as an extension of my ideas on the group form
concept, which emphasizes linkages. Taking advantage of the
elongated site in Patna, the museum complex could be called
a 'chained group form', where heterogeneous elements are
effectively linked by outdoor courts, plazas, and cloisters into a
single complex. Because of the large site and extensive
programme, this was the first opportunity in my long career to
realize this kind of 'chained group form'."

These zones are linked

together via interior and
exterior courtyards and
corridors, ensuring that all
spaces retain a connection to
the surrounding landscape
while remaining sheltered and
comfortable throughout the
year.
SITE PLAN
ENTRANCE AND LOBBY

● Concave in shape
● Cantilevered canopy
● Cladding with light grey
ACP sheets
● Skylight above the
interior lobby
CAFE AND WASHROOMS

● Cafes are located

near to the entrance
lobby to have direct
access as well as
near to courtyard to
have outdoor in
feeling.
● Washrooms are
dispersed according
to exhibition blocks
ORIENTATION AND
MULTIPURPOSE HALL
TEMPORARY EXHIBITION
AND KIDS EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
ADMIN AREA AND BACK OF
THE HOUSE
 COURTYARDS

PEEPAL
COURT The Museum spaces
navigate between
WATERFALL
COURT
indoor and outdoor,
NIRANJANA SINDAL
COURT allowing natural air
COURTYARD AMPHITHEATRE
and light to penetrate
through built spaces
in the spirit of
traditional Indian
architecture.
GREEN SPACES
CIRCULATION
The Bihar Museum is a place where the stories of the past are enhanced by the adept and sensitive use of architectural
philosophy.
The basic idea was to create a journey through the variety of spaces so that the people can experience the memories and history
of Bihar.
The circulation pattern was based on the history of Bihar, starting with Buddhism and Jainism followed by Mauryan and Gupta
Empire to Sher Shah Suri and to the Colonial Past to exhibit the great history of Bihar to the Visitors.
 Isometric View

Vehicular Movement
EXHIBITS :
● The Bihar Museum’s collection comprises of art objects (stone and bronze
sculpture, miniature paintings and thangkas), prehistoric objects,
anthropological artefacts and social history objects.
● The permanent collection galleries of the Bihar Museum have two basic
components – the history galleries and the art gallery. The Museum’s
collection of artefacts and artworks on exhibit tell the story of ancient
Pataliputra and Bihar from earliest times to the 18th century.
● Cataloguing and digitization is an ongoing activity at the Bihar Museum,
which will enable proper utilization, records and conservation of the
collections, made accessible to authorized personnel.
● The Bihar Museum is the official repository of pre-1800 archaeological finds
within the state and all future notable archaeological finds will be stored
here.
● The Museum aims to continue to develop and grow its collection through
research-based activities and potential partnerships with local, regional and
national museums and repositories.
● The Museum will develop both display collections and study or research
collections, but will limit collection growth by being selective about the
materials it accessions into the collections.
FACADE TREATMENT :

The museum as a symbol of Bihar, penetrates visitor’s consciousness by its uniquely juxtaposed forms and building
materials .
Iron has its links to India's ancient civilisations that thrived in this land .

Maki has used weathering steel also known as con-ten steel , to enhance this symbolic connect with iron industry and
progress.
● The museum exterior is characterised by , extensive use of weathering
steel , a durable material that compliments its context and create a
dignified contrast to the surrounding greenery.
● The weathering steel symbolises india’s historical achievements in
metallurgy as well as its current prominence within the international
steel industry ( of which Bihar’s natural resources plays a critical role .)
● It supplemented with stone terracotta and glass finishes - a modern
material palette with clear connection to the bihar’s past and future .
● All the built blocks have been strategically located in consonance with
configuration of the site. These blocks are connected together by
cloisters which are characterised by deeply recessed openings and
modern versions of traditional jali screens.
● These screens allowed natural light to enter while shielding the spaces
from heat and providing relief from the vaste black box exhibition
spaces .
SECTIONS
SECTIONS
SECTIONS
SECTIONS

SECTIONAA’ SECTIONBB’

B’

B’

A’

A
DETAILS
VISION : PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

● The design uses the Indian character of space, modulated through series of light and dark,
and open and enclosed walkways.
● Exhibition spaces are essentially black boxes.
● There is a secondary pathway called the cloisters,
which offers a sense of calm.
TOUCH

SOUND
SERVICES
SOURCES

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzeZJv
D8wnQ
● https://biharmuseum.org/
● https://www.archdaily.com/889978/the-bihar
-museum-maki-and-associates-plus-opolis
● https://tourism.bihar.gov.in/en/destinations/p
atna/bihar-museum
● http://www.maki-and-associates.co.jp/detail
s/index_pic.html?pcd=141
1805 OMKAR BANSODE
1813 PRIYA CHAVHAN
1854 ATHARVA SALASKAR
1861 SUVIDHA TAMBE
1863 RASHMI UMATE
1865 MANASI WADEKAR