Duisburg, Germany
“The extension accords with the sequence of impressive historical brick structures lining the dockside, states Herzog & de Meuron.
“Consequently, the new structure completes the existing museum and harbor basin in a visually appropriate way and forms a suitable conclusion to the row of buildings along the harbor basin. The new project constitutes an integrating and complementary architecture.”
After four years of construction the extension of MKM Museum Küppersmühle designed by Herzog & de Meuron, together with landscape architects Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten, has now reached its completion.
Run by the Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V, the art museum with its historic redbrick elevations has become the center of a new, high-grade, multi-use inner-city location.
The extension project was activated in 2013, with the Ströher family as clients. A feasibility study undertaken by Herzog & de Meuron explored the potential of the site under current conditions. The resulting project constitutes a radical new start.
The original idea of an illuminated cube balanced on the silo towers and visible from afar has been jettisoned.
Instead, the architects proposed to erect a building whose dimensions and materials accord with the sequence of historic brick structures lining the dockside.
The new structure thus completes the existing museum complex in a visually appropriate way and forms a suitable conclusion to the row of buildings along the dock.
At first glance, it might seem as though the new building had always been there
Bricks on the outside, White Cube on the inside: The MKM extension combines industrial culture with contemporary museum architecture.
In keeping with the original conversion of the historical grain mill into a museum (1999), Herzog & de Meuron took their cue from the existing MKM building and the architecture of the Inner Harbour.
Three structures of varying height continue the museum to form a new main edifice, which harmoniously rounds off the row of buildings flanking the harbor basin.
With its striking redbrick façade, the new extension terminates in a square boasting 35 newly-planted sycamore trees—a green urban oasis.
The silos themselves are preserved in their original materiality as industrial monuments.
These sculptural components are not only connecting the old with the new, they will also house distinctive exhibition spaces.
As part of the extension construction, the historic silos were also refurbished and integrated into the new structure, from which bridges on the first and second upper levels forge a connection between the new and existing galleries.
Both in respect of their exterior appearance and their original material, the silos themselves have been preserved as an industrial monument.
A platform on top of the silos, which can be accessed depending on the season and weather conditions, offers a panoramic view over the Ruhr region.
In the interior, a sequence 36 brightly lit and clearly structured collection rooms provide the ideal, spacious setting for the exhibited artworks.
With the presentation of works from the Ströher Collection across an additional 2,500 m. of space, the MKM is set to become a central venue for German and European post-war art. On display are some 300 works, spanning the immediate post-war period to the present day.
Project: MKM Museum Küppersmühle Extension
Architects: Herzog & de Meuron
Partners: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Robert Hösl (Partner in Charge)
Design Team: Mikolaj Bazaczek, Juliane Brantner, Teodor-Octavian Cuciureanu, Florian Hartmann, Sebastian Hefti, Māra Igaune, Susanne Kozlowski, Hannah Reusser, and Daniel Schüre
General Planning: Drees & Sommer Schweiz GmbH
Landscape Architects: Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten AG
Client: MKM Stiftung
Client Representative: Sylvia Ströher
Construction Management: Diete + Siepmann Ingenieur GmbH
Photographer: Simon Menges
