Description

Following an initial concept for the 2003 extension, a competition was held in 2010 for the realisation of the extension, which was won by Staab Architects from Berlin. What set apart the winning design was its placement of the extension building as a pavilion at an optimal distance from “Haus Wahnfried” – Richard Wagner’s home – on a plot of land purchased in 1930, while burying most of the exhibition space and depots underground. HG Merz Architects were responsible for the exhibition design.

Those entering the museum complex from the north, via the avenue restored to its original length, initially only see the historic buildings: on the left the Siegfried-Wagner-Haus, in the middle the solitaire of Haus Wahnfried and on the right the former Gärtnerhaus, which now houses a small café. The large and undisturbed area of the front garden radiates an almost sublime tranquillity. Only as one comes closer does one notice the new, somewhat unspectacular low building. The pavilion, which is completely glazed towards the southern garden, is a model of unobtrusive architecture that respects the existing building. The lightness of the building is accentuated by careful detailing throughout, not least by the fine proportions of the canopy. The all-glass facade with its dark anodised aluminium construction appears almost jointless, its slender profiles measuring only 38 mm. Even with this minimised construction, several sections can be slid to one side to open the pavilion onto the garden. The architects have also exercised pleasing restraint in their use of other materials: the floor is a uniform black terrazzo and all built-in fittings are made of natural oiled oak. The building epitomises the principle of “less is more”.

On the ground floor of the pavilion is the main entrance to the museum, access to the café, the usual service areas and a foyer from which a path leads to the large area for special exhibitions. Its ceiling is painted a light colour, while the side corridor along the glass wall has a dark ceiling that prepares visitors for the artificially lit rooms in the basement. Below ground the permanent exhibition is dedicated to the history of the Bayreuth Festival up to the present day with historical stage models stacked on a long shelf and original costumes in freestanding glass display cases. Only the listening points receive daylight from two courtyards cut into the western boundary of the site. The large underground depot remains hidden from the public.

Originally published in Bauwelt 39.2015, pp. 16-23, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

 

 

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