Construction of a New building for Museum Folkwang in Essen
- Design:David Chipperfield Architects, London
- GFA|Gr.Vol|NIA24,800 m² | 159,000 m³ | 20,000 m² with underground parking
- Services:General planning, HOAI LPH 5 - 8, project management AHO 1 - 5
- Completion:2010
- Client:Neubau Museum Folkwang Essen GmbH (NMFE) - a WOLFF GRUPPE-company, on behalf of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation
- BDA – "Auszeichnung guter Bauten" 2010
- Architectural Award of the city of Essen 2010
- BDA-Architural Award Nordrhein-Westfalen 2011
- DETAIL Award 2011 - „DETAIL Unternehmenspreis Product“
Project description
The Museum Folkwang was founded in 1902 by Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874-1921) in the Westphalian city of Hagen. In 1922, the museum and its first public collection of modernist artists were united with the Municipal Art Museum in Essen to form the Museum Folkwang Essen. The building was partially destroyed during World War II and later rebuilt.
In 2007, a competition was announced: The extension, inaugurated in 1983, was to be demolished and rebuilt to create a larger exhibition space. The design by David Chipperfield Architects was awarded 1st prize, and the implementation planning was awarded to PLAN FORWARD.
The new building, based on the design by the star architect, was implemented by the two WOLFF GRUPPE subsidiaries, W+P – Gesellschaft für Projektrealisierung mbH and PLAN FORWARD GmbH.
It complements the listed old building, preserves its integrity and continues the architectural principle with an ensemble of six structures and four inner courtyards, gardens and convertible halls. The publicly accessible areas add on to the existing exhibition spaces on one level. The building also houses a library, a multifunctional hall, an event area, depots and restoration workshops.