‘lenbachhaus’ by foster + partners, munich, germanyimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

 

after over ten years of restoration, the ‘lenbachhaus museum‘ in munich will reopen today to the public with a special ceremony attended by the german culture minister, the mayor of munich, the museum’s director, and architect norman foster of foster and partners. the museum, originallybuilt in 1891 as a villa and studio for artist franz von lenbach, has been gradually expanded over the course of a century as its function was re-appropriatedbut the structures were in dire need of a restoration to accommodate the estimated 280,000 visitors per year. foster’s design updated the environmentalperformance of the complex and improved the logistical aspects of the existing buildings – circulation, ventilation and daylighting – and also called forthe addition of a new contemporary wing which houses the ‘blue rider’ collection of expressionist paintings and provides enough space for a restaurant, terrace, education facilities and full-height atrium that articulates the blending of old and new. the new addition is conceived as a ‘jewelry box’ containing the museum’s treasures, clad in copper aluminum alloy tubes who’s color represent a contemporary rendition of the original villa’s vibrant yellow-orange hue.exterior circulation is updated through reactivated courtyard spaces and newly-designed plazas and walkways that better connect the new structurewith the historical construction which was stripped of most of it’s aged annexes to expose the true original design. heating and cooling is now carriedout through water-based systems within the floor, coupled with rainwater collection systems, low-energy and natural lighting make it an environmentally responsible structure within the city. 

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 2entranceimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

 

lord foster states:

 

‘our main challenge has been to maintain the same amount of exhibition area, within the museum’s footprint, while creating new circulation and visitor spaces. given the way that the different parts of the museum had evolved, there was no such thing as a typical space – every corner is unique and required individual attention and different design decisions. this has been a fascinating process. another important aspect of our design has been creating new opportunities for works of art to be exhibited outside the traditional confines of the gallery, such as in the atrium. this space develops the idea of the ‘urban room’ – it is the museum’s public and social heart, and point of connection with the wider city.’

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 3(left) street side appearance(right) new ribbed facade detailimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 4signageimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 5image © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 6original structure’s courtyardimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 7new atrium combining new and oldimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 8image © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 9new gallery space with indirect skylightsimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 10smaller gallery roomimage © nigel young / foster and partners

 

 

 

lenbachhaus museum by foster + partners reopens to the public - 11

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lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 
lenbachhaus museum by foster and partners reopens to the public
 

 

 

project info:

 

 

client: city of munich, cultural department and building departmentarchitect: foster + partnersdesign team: norman foster, spencer de grey, david nelson, stefan behling, christian hallmann, ulrich hamann, klaus heldwein, florian boxberg,leonhard weil, judith kernt, henriette hahnloser, eike danz, diana krumbein, simon weismaier, christopher von der howen, inge tummers, jörg grabfelder, katrin hass, tillmann lenzproject management: du diederichs projektmanagementstructural engineer: sailer stepan & partner gmbhmechanical engineer: ingenieurbüro robert ottitsch (hls + rlt) peg gmbh (elektro)quantity surveyor: cbp cronauercost consultant: höhler + partnerlandscaping: burger landschaftsarchitektenlighting design: ingenieurbüro bamberger

appointment: 2002construction start: 2009completion: 2013site area: approx. 4,000m²area (gross): 12,328m²art installations: ‘wirbelwerk’ 2012 by olafur eliasson, ‘lenbachhaus’ 2012 by thomas demandstructure: main structure new parts concrete and steel (roof of entrance hall) old parts brick. facade tecu (new parts) and render (old parts)energy: natural daylight use maximised in upper galleries and circulation spaces, led lights in all public spaces, heating and cooling integrated into the walls and floors, use of natural ground water for cooling and heating, use of rainwater for toiletslighting: LED lights – first installation of led lighting used extensively in an art museum. materials: external: tecu-gold aluminium/copper alloy; internal: timber floor, bronze balustradescost: project cost: 59 million euros, led lighting: 4.3 million euros