Description

The minimalist design by addenda architects from Barcelona was the winning entry of a competition held in 2015 in which 800 architectural firms from over 60 countries took part. The structure of the building is clearly discernible: the “black box”, the actual exhibition floor, rests as an 18-metre wide, 100-metre long concrete box on two massive staircase cores and thus bridges an open ground floor. The central span is an impressive 50 metres, the end cantilevers are each 18 metres. The enormous construction was built in concrete as this proved the most economical option. The 7-metre-high monolithic continuous beams now also form the windowless side walls for the exhibition rooms. This lack of windows was appreciated by the museum curators – after all, one of the main reasons for moving from Gropius’s glass workshop building was the sensitivity of the precious collection pieces to light.

The functions follow the succinct spatial plan: The upper floor offers 1500 square metres of exhibition space, divided only by the two staircases. This creates the central hall for the main exhibition and and two smaller spaces – one north and one south room for special shows. On the ground floor, a lavish hall stretches out, 5 metres high and only selectively fitted with services such as bookstore, café and ticket counter.

The areas below the cantilevers are occupied by event spaces or office and technical functions. Cloakrooms and toilets are located in the basement. The most problematic part of the building is certainly the glass façade. Placed 3 metres in front of the walls, it made all kinds of measures necessary for solar protection. Automated flaps provide ventilation; metal-covered curtains and spot-printed exterior windows (reduction factor 30 percent) keep the indoor climate bearable. For the exterior appearance of the building, the glass envelope proves to be inadequate. While the design renderings had suggested a floating exhibition level and an unobstructed view of the open ground floor, this is prevented by the reflective panes. Dessau’s disparate city hall quarter is reflected in the erratic block. Moreover, the main entrance is hard to find. Only in the evening does the ground floor become accessible to the gaze of passers-by. The museum is a long, smooth and hermetic barrier in the park.

The “Bauhaus spirit”, which the building fails to achieve on the outside, is all the more present on the inside. The exhibition is cleverly arranged and its three parts are generous. In the south room, the visitor is introduced to the Dessau years of the Bauhaus. The north room is dedicated to the “rediscovery” during the GDR era. With the presentation of this collection, the scenographers from the Berlin office chezweitz have achieved a spatial miracle on a small scale. The exhibition is both didactically helpful and of delicate aesthetics.

Originally published in Bauwelt 21.2019, pp. 20-27, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

---