Chipperfield’s reception for berlin’s museum island
A colonnade with 110 super-slim concrete columns – this is how the future reception building for berlin's museum island rises out of the water of the spree river. Behind it, the award-winning renovated new museum with the bust of nefertiti, next to the world-famous pergamon museum, which is currently being renovated.
From 2019, around 8,000 people a day are expected to begin their visit to the unique cultural ensemble in the so-called james simon gallery. The house, designed by star architect david chipperfield, features a communal ticket office, cafe, checkrooms and museum shop. An auditorium for 300 people and an almost 700 square meter room for special exhibitions are also planned.
"Since the topping-out ceremony in 2016, construction has progressed steadily. We are right on schedule and within the budget agreed at the time," said petra wesseler, president of the federal office for building and regional planning, which is responsible for the project, during a tour of the construction site on thursday.
And builder hermann parzinger, president of the stiftung preubischer kulturbesitz, speaks of a "brilliant design" that combines the historical substance of the adjacent museums with its own modern architecture. "With this, we are building the museum island into the 21st century. Century more."
From the outside, the impression is one of marble-studded concrete, while the inside is dominated by finely finished exposed concrete. In addition, there is shell limestone flooring and a lot of glass. Even the struts for the glass facades are transparent, so as not to obscure the view of the city and the reconstructed berlin palace opposite.
"The james simon gallery celebrates public space," said architect alexander schwarz of the chipperfield office. "It is first and foremost a building of hospitality. It's an invitation to see the collections, maybe just to come in here, maybe just to look at the city."
Of course: the responsible persons were by no means always in such good spirits. The gallery, named after the rude jewish museum maven james simon (1851-1932), was actually supposed to have been completed in 2013. But botched construction and difficulties with the building site caused delays again and again.
Divers had to drive 1200 piles into the muddy ground to secure the foundation. Overall, the costs rose from 71 million euros at the beginning to the 134 million euros mentioned at the topping-out ceremony. "Many technical achievements were necessary, but the building does not speak about it," says architect Schwarz.
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