eva dietrich

IDEA

On one hand, the building’s shape is a solitaire as a silent reference to a continues phase of the creative period of the exhibited art of the 20th century, on the other hand it illustrates the ruptures of this (creative) period. A public corridor from east to west divides the building asymmetrically and creates an access to Matthäikirchplatz. The drop-back of the corner of the northern building volume in direction to the public corridor at Potsdamer Strasse creates a square and marks the entrance area of the museum in the southern building fragment.

The Western edge of the building (Matthäikirchplatz) stands on the front edge of the historical block perimeter development of the former ‘Geheimratsviertel’ (privy councillor’s quarter). During the Third Reich the neighbourhood got dispossessed for the planning of Hitler’s Germania and then during the Second World War entirely destroyed. As such this gesture refers to the building site’s archaeology (before Third Reich). Together with the suggested additional building development on the opposite side of the St.-Matthäus-Church (block structure that contains the portrait gallery and the arts and crafts museum) the space of the church square is re-shaped as it persisted until the 20th century (without the intention to historize).

The 5-7m high building volume at grade takes up almost the entire extension of the construction site in direction north, east and south. A play of six different heights of exhibition space volumes that spatially representative for specific art pieces, different epochs, form a collage like volume with roof landscape. This offers possibilities for exhibiting art outside as well as a public accessible roof terrace above the foyer and as such offers space for reflection, discussion or simply to linger and thus represents a forum.

A narrow ‘floating’ volume along the Matthäikirchplatz spans and connects the lower building that is divided by the public corridor. In along Potsdamer Strasse the buidling stays single-storeyed and keeps as such the view between the Neue Nationalgallerie and the Philharmonie. It keeps distance to the view from the reading rooms of the Staatsbibliothek and offers a view through lower and upper volume in direction to Matthäikirchplatz and the church itself. The underground exhibition levels take up the whole building footprint and as such offers a loop like exhibition course.

Additional building structure

The suggested building structure meant for different urban programming (living and working) addresses the erasement of the former ‘Geheimratsviertel’ (privy councillor’s quarter) and re-urbanises the adapted-to-cars ‘Stadtlandschaft’ (city landscape).

Appropriation of space by various users

The building tries to define different urban spaces and squares and at the same time tries to keep opportunities available for a possible appropriation by various users. Thus it not only creates interior space for culture as exhibited art but also (exterior) space for subversive culture.

Naming

The naming of the museum (Museum of the 20th century) must be reconsidered: How can the intended content of the museum represent a century (in art) without being exclusive and as such discriminating.