Scaling Ramón y Cajal. Museum

The museum showcases the work of the neuroscientist; its centrepiece is his collection of drawings: a microscopic world demanding a meticulous degree of attention. The architecture guides the visitor on this journey of scale reduction.

The building sits within the grounds of the hospital where Cajal studied medicine, today a hostile setting dominated by large-scale buildings. Against this scale, the project acts as a filter, conceived as a succession of low-lying walls adapted to the site’s contour, evoking the memory of the walled gardens once found here. Beyond the wall, a world of its own unfolds: a garden enclosed by small pavilions, eaves and pergolas that draw attention to the micro-environment.