Kulturforum
Location: Berlin, Germany
Type: museum
Phase: graduation project, Eline Degenaar, TU Delft Msc 2016/17
Tutors: Prof. D.J. Rosbottom, Sam de Vocht, Sereh Mandias
Gross Floor Area: 15.000 m²
Culture and climate differ all over the world, but people are the same. They’ll gather in public if you give them a good place to do it (1).
This project, a new National Museum of 20th Century Art in Berlin—an extension to Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum, was based on a real international competition, with nearly 800 firms participating. For the first time in decades, this museum will allow the full German national collection of 20th-century art to be exhibited in one cohesive space.
The museum’s location, between two of Germany’s most iconic architectural landmarks—the Neue Nationalgalerie and Hans Scharoun’s Philharmonie—posed key design challenges. What does it mean to create a national museum, one that belongs to the citizens of Germany in this context? The research focused on the social and architectural processes shaping this site, leading to a design that respects its prestigious context while asserting its own identity.
The proposal consists of two distinct architectural elements:
- A bold, urban block along the busy Potsdamer Straße, housing all public functions.
- A low, single-story exhibition slab with a grid of skylights, positioned between the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Philharmonie. This layout maintains an open dialogue between the two landmarks while creating optimal lighting conditions for the permanent collection.
Inspired by Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s Altes Museum, the street-facing building integrates a public stoa, offering visitors framed views of Berlin. A clear hierarchy defines the façade: as the building rises, spaces become more intimate, reflected in the gradual narrowing of columns and their spacing per floor.
This project explores how architecture can bridge past and present, engaging both its urban surroundings and cultural significance.
(1). Gehl, J. (1971). ‘Livet mellem husene’. København: Arkitektens Forlag.
Ground floor
-1 floor
Painted wooden model of the street building, 1:50
Schinkels Altes museum
Paper model of the gallery, 1:50