You don't need to be an architecture scholar to know of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and opened in 1968, the museum is not only a key cultural destination within the German city, holding a rich collection of modern art, but it is also a global icon of 20th century modernism. But years of use and no major renovation works since its original opening left this seminal building in need of an update. Enter David Chipperfield and his team at Chipperfield Architects, and the venue has just reopened following an extensive, six-year-long facelift.
The architects worked with the landmark piece of architecture's clean, almost minimalist form that became emblematic of the International Style its creator represents – a glass-wrapped low, orthogonal shape using grids, metal and concrete that was pioneering for the time. It is also the only project by Mies van der Rohe to be realised in Europe, before the modernist emigrated to the USA.
The refurbishment works include the interior and exterior of the main structure as well as its outdoor sculpture gardens, prioritising ‘a minimum of visual compromise,' explain the architects. Functional and technical updates ranged from air-conditioning, lighting and security repairs, to redesigning the café, museum shop, disabled access and art handling infrastructure. Intervention to the original fabric of the building, however, was kept as light as possible.
‘Taking apart a building of such unquestionable authority has been a strange experience but a privilege. The Neue Nationalgalerie is a touchstone for myself and many other architects. Seeing behind its exterior has revealed both its genius and its flaws, but overall it has only deepened my admiration for Mies’ vision. Our work was therefore surgical in nature, addressing technical issues to protect this vision. Certainly carrying out such a task in a building that leaves no place to hide is daunting, but we hope to have returned this beloved patient seemingly untouched except for it running more smoothly,' says David Chipperfield.
Apart from the architectural celebrations linked to the building works, the reopening also sees the launch of a number of new exhibitions and displays in the gallery's vast spaces – including one focusing on American sculptor Alexander Calder.
INFORMATION
-
Where to eat sushi in LondonFrom high-end hotels to supermarket pop-ups, food critic Ben McCormack recommends London's best sushi spots
-
Don't miss these films at the BFI London Film Festival 2024The BFI has announced the lineup for their 68th festival, and it's a stellar one
-
The mibot is a tiny single-seater ‘mobility robot’ for traversing Japan’s crowded city centresJapan is the undisputed centre of compact car culture, and KG Motors' new mibot is one of a new wave of micro-EVs that look set to take the country’s cities by storm
-
The Lake House is a tree-inspired retreat making the most of Berlin’s natureThe Lake House by Sigurd Larsen is a nature-inspired retreat in west Berlin, surrounded by trees and drawing on their timber nature
-
A new exhibition marks Chandigarh’s modernist legacy‘Celebrating the Capitol’, an exhibition of photographic work by architect Noor Dasmesh Singh, opens just in time for the famed modernist Indian city’s anniversary
-
Join our tour of London Zoo, its modernist architecture and moreLondon Zoo is a well-established magnet for younger visitors, but there's plenty for the architecture enthusiast to admire too; our tour explores its modernist treasures for guests of all ages
-
La Grande Motte: touring the 20th-century modernist dream of a French paradise resortLa Grande Motte and its utopian modernist dreams, as seen through the lens of photographers Laurent Kronental and Charly Broyez, who spectacularly captured the 20th-century resort community in the south of France
-
'Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' captured in new monograph like no book before'The Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' chronicles hundreds of iconic structures from this golden age of architectural expression
-
Discover Tempe à Pailla, a lesser-known Eileen Gray gem nestled in the French RivieraTempe à Pailla is a modernist villa in the French Riviera brimming with history, originally designed by architect Eileen Gray and extended by late British painter Graham Sutherland
-
'American Modern' surveys the 'total community' modernist project that was Columbus, Indiana'American Modern', a new publication zooming in on the lesser-known architectural gems of Columbus, Indiana, and their impact, is out this month
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
