Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
gmp wins first prize in the competition for conversion and extension
In the years to come, the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin will continue developing as an open and integrated research museum. The competition’s brief was to repair and refurbish the listed ensemble, including the outdoor facilities, in line with building preservation principles; also to establish barrier-free access and to provide new spaces for exhibition, collections, and research. The design by von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp) in cooperation with Rainer Schmidt Landschaftsarchitekten includes new roofs over the two inner courtyards, which makes it possible to upgrade the visitor infrastructure.
The current Dinosaur Hall will become the “Welcome Zone” for ticketing, information, and scientific exchange. From there, visitors enter the covered courtyards with their new exhibition areas, and continue – barrier-free – to the north wing at the rear. The upgraded courtyard buildings convey openness and transparency, and establish a bridge for the transfer of science between the museum and society.
As an institution of the Leibniz Association, the Museum für Naturkunde rests on these three closely interconnected pillars: the collection with 30 million natural history objects, the collection-based and internationally noted research, and the transfer of knowledge. In order to continue developing in the future, with an emphasis on the subjects of biodiversity, evolution, and science & society, a building is needed that is economically and functionally viable and sustainable, conducive to cutting-edge research, and that facilitates the development of the collection and the exchange of scientific knowledge.
All submitted competition entries will be on display at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, until July 16, 2023.
