Bauhaus – Archiv / Museum for Design, Berlin, 2015

Idea

The „promenade architecturale", as the basic idea of the Bauhaus-Archiv, has been taken up and developed further in the design of the new museum. An in-between space representing a "window to the Bauhaus" creates the access to the museum. The lookout platform designed by Gropius is widened as to become a plaza which leads to the entrance and lobby of the new museum.

The building volumes of Bauhaus-Archiv and museum for design are interwoven. Thus creating a sculpture-courtyard in the center of the ensemble and offering alternating views of both buildings; creating a dialogue between the old and the new.

Urban Integration

The urban design concept of the new museum is derived from the location of the site in the green corridor along the Landwehrkanal, in front of the massive edges of the classic block structure of the city. The museum becomes part of the green space. The green space is incorporated in the building ensemble of the museum in the form of a sculpture court.

Structure / `promenade architecturale`

The existing base elements of the Bauhaus-Archiv such as single volumes, connecting structures, the foot path and the sculpture court has been captured and reinterpreted in the museum for design.

Levels and ramps connect the structure and create a public walkthrough- `promenade architecturale`.

Visual connections and scales

The spatial constriction at the entrance area, directs the sight of the visitor towards the Gropius building. By arrival at the small plaza, the foyer or the cafe, the view over the sculpture court towards the Bauhaus-Archiv and the Landwehrkanal is widened. The Bauhausarchiv is staged as a 1:1 exhibition of the new museum for design.

Towards the internal courtyard, between the old and new buildings, the museum for design in its volume and cubature takes on the same scale as the connecting structures of the Bauhaus-Archiv. The two storey cubes recede into the background.

On the city side, the new building defines clear spatial edges through it´s freestanding cubes and emphasizes the prominent corner situation on the urban scale.

Foyer as an exhibition level of the Bauhaus-Archivs

From the foyer, the view opens towards the Bauhaus Archive, becoming the first and most important exhibit of the design museum.

From here, a staircase takes the visitors to the temporary exhibition on the first floor and the permanent exhibition on the lower level. The special exhibition and digital studiolo are located with direct access to the foyer, on the ground floor.

Permanent and cabinet exhibition halls which are related to the past, history and permanence (stability) are associated with the large lower base level. Different levels as ground relief, divide the permanent exhibition zones. Sightlines, provide an overview and a sense of orientation. The three spatial zones of the permanent exhibition and the dividable cabinet exhibition are also individually accessible through the divider zone.

The special exhibition on the ground floor and the temporary exhibition on the first floor are located in the concise northern cube. They are directly accessible from the foyer and thus usable independent from the permanent exhibition. The interior space design allows modifications and flexible responses to different exhibition requirements (workshop character).