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SAKA Museum

Napp Studio & Architects

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Entrance lobby and gallery ceiling inspired by Nyepi night sky of Bali - Jimmy Ho
Learning centre as a wooden chest of the museum functions as a library and archive of Balinese Hinduist artefacts - Jimmy Ho
Benches with traditional Balinese motif and locally sourced wood made by local craftmen - Jimmy Ho
Entrance lobby and gallery ceiling inspired by Nyepi night sky of Bali - Jimmy Ho

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Comments
Innovation
Functionality
Creativity
Eco-Social Impact
Total
JURY VOTES
Cultural Space
5.85
6.22
6.16
5.87
6.02
Jan Clostermann
Jan Clostermann Founder and Director at CLOU Architects
6
5
6
6.5
5.88
Jason Chan
Jason Chan Founder at Jason Design Group
6.19
7.33
7.44
6.81
6.94
Justine Fox
Justine Fox Founder and Colour Specialist at Studio Justine Fox
Air quality has been shown to have...
7
7
7
8
7.25
Stéphane Bernier
Stéphane Bernier Partner and Director of Retail Strategy and Innovation at Ædifica
7.07
5
6.8
7.68
6.64
Maja Bernvill
Maja Bernvill Creative Director at Specific Generic
4
5
4
5
4.5
Marie Hesseldahl
Marie Hesseldahl Partner and Head of Interior and Product Design at 3xn
6
6
6
8
6.5
Marie-Andree Busque
Marie-Andree Busque Director Interior Architecture at Sid Lee Architecture
7
6.5
8
7.2
7.18
Bin Ju
Bin Ju Founder and Chief Design Director at Horizontal Design
6.46
5
6.3
7.83
6.4
Constance Guisset
Constance Guisset Founder at Constance Guisset Studio
8
6
7
7
7
Sanchit Arora
Sanchit Arora Principal Architect at Renesa Studio
6
6
6
6.5
6.13
Adi Utama
Adi Utama Global Office Development at JetBrains
7
6
7
7
6.75
Islam El Mashtooly
Islam El Mashtooly Creative Director at OBMI
7
5
7
6
6.25
Liyun Hao
Liyun Hao Founder and Design Director at EVD
5
5
5
5
5
Client
Ayana
Floor area
4000 ㎡
Completion
2023
Budget
£4,000,000
Social Media
Instagram
Material Sourcing

SAKA Museum is one dedicated to Balinese Hinduist culture and traditional crafts in the Ayana Estate in Jimbaran, Bali. The design of the interior seeks inspiration from local natural and cultural heritage in order to represent the powerful connection between culture and nature in Balinese Hinduism. From the tranquil night sky of Nyepi to water caves, and volcano rocks to jasper and agate of Indonesia, SAKA Museum defines each area through the translation of nature into architecture in formal and material expression. Different Balinese Hinduist motifs were also reflected in the architectural language through a contemporary lens.

SAKA museum takes visitors to embark on a captivating exploration of the Balinese Day of Silence, Nyepi, and a myriad of art and cultural expressions deeply intertwined with the profound Balinese principle of Tri Hita Karana, a Balinese philosophy that emphasizes harmony and balance between the three realms of life: God, nature, and humanity. The interior serves as a medium to connect visitors with natural and cultural heritage of Bali through materials, lighting, and formal expressions.

The entrance lobby gallery is conceived as the sacred tranquil night sky of Nyepi, the New Year's Eve as The Day Of Silence. The ceiling appears to be completely dark during the day with a subtle grey granite flooring that extends the exterior into the interior. Minimal lighting is used as the space intends to slow down the pace of visitors and clear their senses and mind for a spiritual journey. During sunset, the ripple lights on the dark ceiling slowly reveal themselves like constellations in the night sky of Bali. In the lobby café, seating takes shape of stone stacking which is used as a meditative practice in Bali. Local aggregates are casted in GRC to create those monolithic pebble seatings.

The museum shop draws its colour palette from moss agate of Indonesia with its various shades of grey and green. All statutes and handcrafts are works of local Balinese artists, and are displayed on a series of pedestals with ascending heights for optimal display. The external spiral ramp pays tribute to the iconic water caves across the island of Bali while the central staircase and core are cladded with lava stones that are highly abundant in Bali with its active volcanoes. The leaning centre for academics, artists, and conservationists is embedded in the centre as a wooden chest with its traditional archives.

The material palette inspired by local natural landscape and geological features allows the team to source a lot of the materials locally to reflect the energy and spirit of the Island of Bali as well as to engage the local craftsmen.