David Chipperfield Architects / Julian Harrap 2009
Antiquities of astonishing beauty and quality in the
Neues Museum are greatly enhanced by the magnificent setting. Rescued from dereliction following Second
World War bombing and the division of the city, the museum has been sensitively
repaired and reconstructed by David Chipperfield Architects and Julian
Harrap. However this is no facelift,
erasing the vicissitudes of time, turning the clock back to some real or
imagined earlier incarnation, it has been painstakingly repaired, leaving the
scars of the 20th century exposed in a rich palimpsest of layered
construction. Like the very best art and
architecture, the physical reality of the building transcends any
representation in photos.
New materials include white terrazzo and concrete, with
marble aggregate, bronze, oak (which is generally dark stained), mushroom
coloured leather and sand blasted glass.
Carefully assembled pre-cast concrete elements are finished in a variety
of textures, creating a subtle tactile range.
The new work, somehow both raw and refined in its tectonic quality,
perfectly complements the surviving construction, which is a mixture of
fragmented decorative surfaces and exposed underlying construction. This is an expensive building: the insides of
the cloakroom lockers are lined with luxurious dark stained oak and the doors wrapped
in leather. However, it is rigour of
conception, rather than opulence, that underlies Chipperfield’s approach: for
example, displays on the upper galleries are formed in unlipped blockboard,
with integral display windows and directly applied graphics. An unforced variety in the character and
treatment of spaces and displays makes this the least stuffy of museums.
New elements of construction and even the display cases
are engaging reinterpretations of the originals. Unlike the artifacts, which are presented in
glorious isolation on plinths and in cases as the aesthetic pinnacle of past
civilizations, the building is a sublime manifestation of the cyclical
processes of human endeavour through time: creation, decay, destruction, repair,
re-interpretation and renewal.
Interesting. It's clearly a very successful building but I always so wonder how much of the power of 'refurbishments' like this is derived from the ancient classical details that have been repaired? To what extent do the modern details offer 'something' to the visitor in terms of architecural experience ?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the existing elements of the architecture provide a rich background to the new intervention. Chipperfield's work at the Neues Museum is an example of how to do this type of project really well. It would be interesting to make a comparison with one of his new museums, like for example the Hepworth at Wakefield.
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