Sensitive refurbishment of research & exhibition space to welcome visitors
Tenderstream member Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp) has won first prize in the contest for the conversion and extension of the Museum for Natural History in Berlin (Museum für Naturkunde), which houses over 30 million collection items and is one of the world’s most significant research museums in the fields of evolution and biodiversity. The competition’s brief called for a repair and refurbishment of the listed building complex in line with building preservation principles, while also improving accessibility and providing new space for collections, research, and exhibitions.
As an institution of the Leibniz Association, the Museum für Naturkunde operates on the basis of three closely interconnected principles: its collection, its collection-based and internationally renowned research, and its ability to communicate its findings with the wider world. The jury considered that the winning design offered an economically and functionally viable and sustainable solution, conducive to cutting-edge research, which facilitiates the development of the collection and the exchange of scientific knowledge.
The design, created in cooperation with Rainer Schmidt Landschaftsarchitekt, includes new roofs over two inner courtyards, enabling an upgrade to the visitor infrastructure. The current Dinosaur Hall will become a ‘Welcome Zone’ for ticketing, information, and scientific exchange. From there, visitors will enter the covered courtyards with their new exhibition areas, and continue along an accessible route to the north wing at the rear. The upgraded courtyard buildings convey openness and transparency, and establish a bridge for the transfer of scientific knowledge between the museum and the public.
Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research
This tender was first published by Tenderstream on 04.10.2022 here
Start your free trial here or email our team directly at customerservices@tenderstream.com
Explore the Tenderstream archive here
