The Bihar Museum Embodies the Past and Future of Indian Metal Making
An exterior covered in COR-TEN steel.
The Bihar Museum, designed by Maki and Associates of Japan and OPOLIS architects of Mumbai, is a 5.3-hectare complex located in the capital city of Patna that houses the rich artifacts and treasures of the east Indian state of Bihar.
The multi-faceted museum features low-scale buildings and vast “campus”-like spaces that exist in harmony with the surrounding natural environment. The Bihar Museum’s exterior is covered in weathering steel, aka COR-TEN steel — a material that symbolizes India’s historical achievements in metallurgy and its present influence on the global steel industry — and decorated with stone, terracotta and glass finishes that nod to a more modern palette. The complex also contains a program that preserves the prominent trees and greenery that coexist with the museum’s sleek architecture.
Check out the sleek Bihar Museum above and for more noteworthy architecture, Fondazione Prada’s OMA-designed Milan complex is opening to the public.
