Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, Germany
Science and imagination illuminate how Stone and Bronze Age people lived. For over a century, Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen on Lake Constance has blended research with public discovery, making Germany’s oldest archaeological open-air museum a landmark that attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually. In June 2024, a new extension opened—a nearly 1,300-square-meter wooden building highlighted by an open roof truss and a suspended laminated-timber frame that showcases craftsmanship and structural expression.
Extension of the Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen by a+r Architekten, won an 2025 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The extension rows into the future while respecting history. Founded in 1922, the museum presents 3,000 years of human history, with 23 pile dwellings rebuilt in the open-air area to reflect Stone and Bronze Age life. The new building houses a modern visitor center and a fresh exhibition focused on these UNESCO World Heritage pile dwellings, whose original remains lie just a few meters offshore. The winning design from the 2018 competition interprets the past through a Bronze Age dugout-canoe motif: a longhouse with a gabled roof that, when viewed from the exterior, resembles an overturned boat that shelters artifacts beneath. The middle is widened for a welcoming entry; the ends taper near glazed gable sections, creating a striking interior symmetry. The timber frame uses untreated local spruce, 1.60 meters apart, with bracing, while a gallery is hung from the roof with steel rods to expand exhibition space.
The building sits harmoniously within Uhldingen-Mühlhofen’s lakeside context. Its form and scale echo neighboring lakeside structures, while the main entrance commands visibility from the redesigned forecourt. Set slightly back from the lake, it preserves a view of the pile dwellings and yields a pleasant lakeside terrace for public use.
Prefabrication dominated the roughly 45-meter-long extension, largely in cross-laminated timber, enabling an 18-month construction period. The structure rests on 81 piles driven up to 20 meters into the lake bed. Facades match the age of the adjacent pile dwellings by using pre-weathered square timber of durable larch, with bronze-tone window casements blending into the understated exterior. Interior timber dominates: white-fir wall cladding, wood-acoustic ceilings, and darker industrial-parquet floors on the gallery. Ground-floor spaces feature polished screed with lake-sand aggregates, reinforcing the wooden aesthetic.
The new museum adjoins the existing west wing, which houses services and updated restrooms, enabling a low-tech “simple building” approach for the new hall. Generous skylights supply daylight, while photovoltaic panels on the original roof promote energy self-sufficiency. A notable design consideration is the presence of two public sewer lines beneath the reception area, prompting a foyer built with modular components for easy removal if needed.
A second construction phase is envisioned east of the current extension as a mirrored twin, potentially housing additional exhibition halls for special events. Although the permit for the next phase is granted, funding remains a prerequisite before construction can proceed. The future addition is already anticipated in the landscape, signaling ongoing growth that honors both legacy and progress.
Architects: a+r Architekten
Associate Architects: müller + marcus planungsbüro GmbH
Landscape Architects: Planstatt Senner
General Contractor: müller + marcus planungsbüro GmbH
Client: Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen Bodensee
Photographers: Werner Huthmacher
