Along with the National Assembly, this museum of Tunisian history occupies palatial buildings outside the city walls of Tunis. The original structure has been renovated, and an extension added, doubling its floor area. Among the new facilities provided are a mosaic restoration studio, maintenance studio, multimedia library, conference room, reception area, café and bookshop. The project was conceived as a symbiosis of architecture and museography, with light as a primary material. A metaphor of the medina, the extension has a monumental entrance, and passages, patios and skylights illuminate the spaces within. To allow local labourers to be employed, a standard structural system of reinforced concrete filled with brick was used.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture