The ensemble of the Kulturforum, the most important cultural center of first Western and then united Berlin, may seem complete, but in reality it is not. The space between Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's New National Gallery, the Hans Scharoun Philharmonic and the Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht complex was also intended for development, but for various reasons remained empty for decades.
Nevertheless, the idea of filling this site opposite the State Library (another building of Sharun) appeared from time to time, and now another round of this story is unfolding. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which manages 17 Berlin museums, a library and other cultural and scientific institutions, plans to build a 20th century art Museum there, complementing (and partly replacing) the New National Gallery for contemporary art.
42 teams participated in the international competition for the design of the building and its integration into the context. 19 of them successfully passed the qualifying, selection stage, 13 bureaus were invited directly, and ten more turned out to be the best following the results of the previous “real” competition of ideas.
Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with the Zurich landscape bureau Vogt won first place in the competition for the project to be implemented, the second place was taken by Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter and the landscape architects Schønherr from Copenhagen, the third - by the Berliners Bruno Fioretti Marquez Architekten and capatti staubach. Four honorable mentions have also been awarded, including OMA and SANAA.
1st place
Herzog & de Meuron and Vogt (Switzerland)
The architects propose to build a laconic structure under a gable roof. According to their idea, the "house of art of the XX century" should seem different, depending on the point of view. It can be a storehouse, a barn, a train station or even a temple - after all, the proportions of the gable of its roof coincide with the pediment of the Old National Gallery on the Museum Island, the work of August Stühler in the mid-19th century. According to Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, all these options are correct: it is actually a place of storage, it is connected with the theme of food and supplies, like an agricultural building, it is a space of meetings and connections, like a train station, and, like a temple, it is a place of silence, reflection, perception of art - and perception of oneself.
Inside, the layout is defined by two intersecting "streets" dividing the building into four squares; from their "crossroads" you can see the whole structure of the museum, as well as exhibit large-scale works of art. One of the streets, "boulevard", passes under the ridge of the roof, through which the light gets deep into the interior.
Architects see their museum as a meeting place for different worlds and mentalities, a crossroads of different roads. It will have many entrances - on all sides of the world. In addition, it will serve as a kind of gateway to the Piazzetta in front of the Art Gallery, which was previously a little off the beaten path.
2nd place
Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter and Schønherr (Denmark)
3rd place
Bruno Fioretti Marquez Architekten and capatti staubach (Germany)
Honorable Mention
OMA and Inside Outside (Netherlands)
Honorable Mention
SANAA (Japan) and Bureau Bas Smets (Belgium)
Honorable Mention
Staab Architekten and Levin Monsigny (Germany)
Honorable Mention
Aires Mateus e Associados and PROAP (Portugal)
