Municipal Museum in the Marinehaus,
Berlin-Mitte

Limited open competition, Berlin 2008

The municipal museum Berlin will have its headquarters on Köllnischen Park and be integrated with the Märkisches Museum to form one unit. The plan is to re-construct the hall from 1908, originally built as the Marinehaus’ clubhouse, into a structurally modern museum for permanent and special exhibits.


Location
Am Köllnischen Park 5, 10179 Berlin

Status
Competition 

Initiator
State of Berlin represented by Senate Department for Urban Development 

User
Museum for Berlin City History 

Design
Heinz Tesar Wien | Hella Rolfes, Berlin 

Structural Engineer
GSE – Ing.-GmbH Saar, Enseleit und Partner, Berlin

Gross floor area
4.849 sqm

Net floor area
2.222 sqm
 
Budget
23,4 MIO EUR

Based on the original use of the building as a hall, the interior will be re-created as a continuous space for permanent and changing exhibits. The space stands for a stillage in the large hollow space of the street room. The original building’s assymetrical composition is re-gained in a conceptual varied form for the new building through the interlacing of the exibition and administrative wings. This is expressed in the street frontage. The outward appearance on Köllnische Straße is defined by a so-called lightsheet wall, which gives distinction to the interior through light and profile. The compact basis of the existing structure is changed only slightly, whereby the existing structural substance is used as best possible.

Transforming the building from an event venue with ballroom to a building for modern museum use required new light appropriate for the new purpose. A second self-supporting layer was added to the street façade facing west, this layer acting as a light room. The old windows in the inner façade were removed so that the high, white wall with arched openings stand free in all floors.