daniel libeskind: academy of the jewish museum berlin

academy of the jewish museum berlin’ by daniel libeskind, berlin, germanyimage ©  pietschmann, wagenzik, ausserhofer

the recently completed ‘academy of the jewish museum berlin’ is a 25,000-square foot, one-story complex which stands across from the building daniel libeskind designed nearly twelve years earlier. the structure which was also developed by the architect will house its library, archives, an education center and contain additional offices, storage and support spaces for the institution. the concept for the composition is entitled ‘in-between spaces’ which links the edifice to the other areas in the organization through strong themes and forms.

upon entering the piazza the words of medieval jewish scholar and philosopher moses maimonides are positioned across the left side of the facade: ‘hear the truth, whoever speaks it’ reminds those who search into the events of the past must be prepared to accept what they find. it is translated into five languages to reinforce the message and promoting its essence of truth.

exteriorimage © bitter bredt

‘each project offers a fresh chance to illuminate jewish history and culture, to understand the tragedies and the triumphs, and to celebrate the resilience, creativity and erudition that have been jews’ enduring legacy.’  – daniel libeskind

the large downward-sloping structure explodes through the facade mimicking the contours of the museum’s 2001 extension. two skylights are positioned above the cube shaped like the hebrew letters A and B to emphasize the importance of education and knowledge in jewish life. the entrance into the academy is through a large slashed aperture where visitors are brought into a transitional space consisting of two large blocks. positioned at odd angles the volumes house the library and auditorium form a jagged element at the rear of the opening. the placement of the pine timber structures suggest the imagery of shipping crates which are used to transport precious objects. it also provokes the story of noah’ ark, which preserved all things living and cherished during his biblical voyage.

three large cubes with wooden paneling mimicking the texture of shipping cratesimage © bitter bredt

a vantage point capturing the space between interior cubes and the exterior buildingsimage © bitter bredt

sky lightsimage © bitter bredt

‘here the truth, whoever speaks it’ by moses maimonides is translated into english, german, hebrew, arabic and judeo-arabic image © bitter bredt