The Grand Egyptian Museum, located near the Giza plateau, addressed the convergence of an overwhelming architectural history of the site, and a contemporary cosmology through the vast architectural gesture.

One strategy was to confront the pyramid form, and its perceived ahistorical nature, located in a pre-classical, and hence pre-western architecture.

The other is seen in light of the construction of the Giza pyramids as a marking of the earth’s surface with a map of the stars.

The possibility of seeing the project from space, and viewing the Giza horizon and sky from the project became a key concern.

A very large inverted pyramid was proposed – an artificial plateau which re-scaled the array of pyramids nearby. The program for the museum sat below this surface, and partially filled it, thus creating part building, part land art.

This program and its primary circulation provided access to the vast surface. The surface in turn provided an environment which collected water and solar energy to serve the project.

The possibility that an architectural gesture can hold both science fiction qualities and those of antiquity was heavily examined. The building reads upon entry both as something particular to its unique context and like a gaint golded space craft has landed in the sand.