º£½ÇÊÓƵ

berlin modern

Berlin, Germany

At Berlin’s Kulturforum – one of the city’s most significant cultural locations – a new museum, berlin modern, is taking shape. It provides an important new impulse: it reorganises the outdoor spaces and makes them accessible and engaging for the public.

The building brings the cultural institutions closer together and strengthens the connection between between the Philharmonic, the New National Gallery, St Matthaeus Church and the museums of the Kulturforum. With its clear façade facing Scharoun Square and the inclusion of of St Matthaeus Church Square, the Kulturforum is now perceptible as a unified campus – a step envisaged in earlier masterplans but never realised.

The new museum will be flanked by two of Germany‘s most important existing architectural icons: Neue Nationalgalerie and Berliner Philharmonie.

Alongside its own internationally relevant collection, the works of Ulla and Heiner Pietzsch, Erich Marx and Egidio Marzona will be shown in the gallery, as well as pieces by Gerhard Richter.

Our building services experts are working to deliver a comfortable, efficient and sustainable environment tailored to our client’s needs.

Challenge

The museum’s location between two architectural icons – the Philharmonic and the New National Gallery – made the project highly complex in urban‑design, architectural and technical terms. In addition to integrating the building into this sensitive context, it was essential to create exhibition spaces of the highest quality that meet both conservation and curatorial requirements while still offering an open spatial experience. The building services had to remain completely invisible in order to preserve the clarity of the architectural language yet be flexible enough to support a variety of use scenarios.

Solution

º£½ÇÊÓƵ developed a highly complex technical concept that ensures the protection of the exhibits, visitor comfort and optimal energy efficiency. A ring‑shaped technical system installed in the basement supplies the building with precisely regulated fresh air, heating, cooling and electricity. Dynamic air curtains provide climatic separation between open gallery areas. This allows exhibits in the display spaces to remain protected while still enabling an open and immersive art experience. Climate stability is precisely controlled even as visitor numbers and operating scenarios change – creating an atmosphere tailored specifically to the artworks.

A photovoltaic system on the roof enables solar‑powered cooling: when solar radiation is at its highest, the greatest amount of energy is available for climate control. The museum is connected to the district heating network, prepared for district cooling, and integrated into the electricity supply of the New National Gallery.

Workshops, conservation studios and public areas are equipped with state‑of‑the‑art lighting systems that showcase the artworks to optimal effect while minimising the risk of damage. To manage the project’s high level of complexity, a detailed BIM model was used as a single source of truth, ensuring seamless coordination among all disciplines throughout the project’s long duration.  

Value

berlin modern is far more than a museum: it serves as a cultural catalyst and establishes a new ‘third place’ for Berlin. Open access, ticket‑free areas, a café and street galleries transform the building into a vibrant meeting point. The museum significantly expands exhibition space, brings art into the public realm, and provides areas for storage and conservation – an investment in safeguarding and showcasing art for future generations. As a unifying element, it strengthens the Kulturforum, connects the architectural icons of modernism, and transforms the campus into a place where art, architecture and society come together in a unique way.

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