The dolmen sits several kilometers from the town it is named after. The immediate site surrounding the dolmen itself is mostly flat and open to its environment, with a very gradual hill leading up to the ancient structure itself. Few rocks and patches of plants dot the area. The most important part of the site is the placement of the dolmen itself. It's positioned on an axis that follows the path of the sun as it rises and sets, seemingly placed there for this purpose by its creators.

Before my site analysis had even begun, the indigenous people of Portugal had already created cloisters on several of their megalithic sites. Many of these locations around Portugal feature a central figure with barrier stones surrounding it, seemingly converging toward the stone in the center. It is this idea of using the cloister itself to celebrate the central figure (the dolmen) that fueled my design process.

Splitting the museum program into several smaller buildings allowed for public and private spaces to be separated from each other. In terms of the orientation around the site, the public buildings (such as exhibition space and gift shop) are placed at the front of the site near the original path taken to see the dolmen. Private buildings (like archives and admin offices) are placed towards the back of the site on slightly smaller paths. The main entrances (seen in plan) of the buildings also help create this divide between the two principals. Public entrances are flat and in line with the façade while private entrances are hidden behind outcroppings whose views are blocked from the approaching paths.