Emilia Blyskal’s Air Balloon Museum in Bristol turns the idea of elevation into the main visitor experience.
The project is not only about designing a museum object. It uses height, view, ETFE and open internal space to create a journey where visitors can look back across Bristol from a new perspective.
Project images
The images below show the museum’s architectural language, visitor movement and structural expression.
What the museum is trying to do
The Air Balloon Museum uses the idea of flight to shape both the form and the visitor journey. The elevated view is not a decorative ending; it is the reason the building exists.
That makes the project easier to understand as a museum architecture project. The experience is about anticipation, movement, height and the moment of seeing the city from above.
How Emilia presents the design
- The project was modelled in SketchUp.
- Visuals were produced in V-Ray and edited in Photoshop.
- The ETFE facade gives the building a high-tech and lightweight character.
- The open-plan layout and exposed structure support freedom of movement.
- The visitor experience is linked to a 360-degree view of Bristol.
Candidate context
Emilia graduated from the University of the West of England with First Class Honours in BSc Architecture. Her experience includes work with T-Space Architects and the RIBA Student Mentoring Programme with Donald Moir.
For a Part I candidate, that combination matters. A strong project shows design thinking, but the way it is drawn, modelled and explained also gives practices evidence of practical skill.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that concept projects need one clean sentence before the detail. For this one, the hook is simple: a museum where the idea of air ballooning becomes a way to see Bristol differently.
Useful routes
Use these links to browse more student work or look at current architecture opportunities.
Showcase a museum or visitor-experience project
If your project is built around a strong visitor journey, make the sequence easy to understand.
- Explain the concept in one clear sentence.
- Show the movement route and key moment.
- Use images and diagrams that prove the experience.
- Add enough technical context to show how the idea could work.
Next step
Browse more project showcases, read the portfolio guide, or submit your own architecture project.
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