Bamberg, Germany

Peter W. Schmidt of Peter W. Schmidt Architekten GmbH has designed a new annex and addition for the Bamberg State Archives.

The project recently won a 2020 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

With its meticulously planned dimensions, the new cuboid structure has the effect of a keystone slotting neatly into the complex of listed buildings, which make up the Bamberg State Archive.

Together with the historic wall, it cordons off the neo-baroque gardens.

A single-level corridor connects the old to the new and features a glazed facade offering a largely unimpeded view of the historic building.

A single-story flat-roofed building provides a ground-level link between the new build and the depository dating from the 1960s.

Floor-to-ceiling windows give the row of offices a view of the courtyard. Prefabricated concrete ribs on the facade reflect the storing, layering, and stacking that take place inside the archive.

The interplay of light and shadow creates the effect of a three-dimensional surface, behind which the structural shell recedes into the background.

The minimalist design combined with the use of resilient substances and locally sourced building materials are key components of the sustainability-conscious architecture.

Project: Annex For The Bamberg State Archive
Architects: Peter W. Schmidt Architekten GmbH
Client: Staatliches Bauamt Bamberg
General Contractor: Peter W. Schmidt Architekten GmbH
Photographer: Stefan Muelle