Nieto Sobejano create sympathetic re-design for Bavarian cultural institution

The Bavarian State Archaeological Museum collection has re-opened in Munich, following an intensive programme of restoration and expansion designed by Tenderstream member Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos. Over 400 guests - including the Bavarian prime minister Markus Söder and state minister Markus Blume – attended a ceremony to mark the completion of the 66m EUR transformation.

The original museum, designed by Helmut von Werz, was constructed from 1970-1975 and featured a distinctive steel facade. Although not officially protected by the Bavarian conservation institute, Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos produced a design for the upgrade that was conscious of both the architectural quality of the existing building and the environmental factors that favour rehabilitation over demolition. 

The gallery’s square shape resonates with the orthogonal geometry of the original project, offering a large exhibition space that can be further subdivided. A system of in-situ concrete beams with basaltic aggregate and black-pigmented cement spans 27-meter-long spaces over a vast horizontal area. Skylights emerge from the ground and demarcate a children’s playground area for the adjacent nursery, thematically conceived as a small archaeological garden. 

The façade’s steel cubes, entirely replaced, retain the dimensions and proportions of the original design, modifying only their thickness, anchoring systems, and thermal insulation. At first glance, the building appears unchanged, maintaining the same precise and abstract appearance, containing a completely renovated museum, with each space transformed to varying degrees. Overall, the sympathetic restoration has retaining the building's most distinctive architectural elements, with new additions limited to the insertion of a spacious public staircase, the expansion of administrative and conservation areas, and the construction of a large, column-free underground exhibition hall. 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

This tender was first published by Tenderstream on 03.05.2018 here

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