Paul Clemence, Architectural Photographer finally releases the latest photo series of the newly opened Kunsthaus Zurich Museum Extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
Kunsthaus Zurich Museum is Switzerland’s largest art Museum. It Houses and portrays the most important art collection in Switzerland assembled by the local art association called Zurcher Kunstgesellschaft over the years. The art collection showcases art from the middle age to contemporary art with a major emphasis on Swiss art.
The museum originally was opened in 1910 and was designed by architects – Karl Moser and Robert Curjel in the Neo-Grec version of the Secession style of architecture. The original Museum was extended three times before now.
The extension by David Chipperfield is estimated to be $230 million and has opened in autumn 2021 adding 5,040 sqft (468sqm) of the area to the existing museum increasing the display area by 78%. The project is said to be distinguished by four core elements – Its central entrance hall, Medium-sized contemporary exhibition, Its focus on the art of the 1960s and of the years later, and the Emil Buhrle Collection and is said to be a new way of expressing public art with the new form.
Located in the Heimplatz Square of the old town of Zurich the new extension resembles a free-standing structure but is connected directly to the Museums old building with an underground passage.
This project caters to the fundamental concerns of the extension of museum design with the responsibility to deliver the relationship with the existing museum and the urban context. It’s expected to deliver spatial and formal architecture and hopes to become an integral part of the social, cultural, and physical infrastructure of Zurich city.
The extension façade is made in Jura limestone to echo traditional stone buildings in the public context in this area. The stone is arranged in vertical fins at regular intervals around the outer surface of the building. The areas around the windows are made in precast concrete designed to resemble natural cut stone.
The Monolithic form of the museum is inspired by the city’s 19th-century cantonal school located north of the site and intends to provide the square with a clear urban edge reputation.
The entrance is designed by a large foyer on the ground floor that spans through the full length of the building which is accessible from the three entrances. The length of the new exhibition links the new park area to the north of the site which doubles as an outdoor space and Heimplatz on the southwest.
Around the entrance area, public functions are aligned such as bar and café, shops, education services and event halls. There is also an open staircase that forms as a focal point of the building providing access to the galleries on the upper floors also helping in operating the visitors.
The galleries located on the upper floors of the new museum have been developed with materiality orientation, unique sizes and lighting conditions to provide different atmospheres with unified reinforced concrete backgrounds from the construction that are kept exposed.
It is estimated that approximately 90 percent of the concrete used for the structure was made from recycled concrete that uses low–carbon cement to reduce the environmental impact due to the extension of this museum.
The material palette of marble, wood and brass in combination has been used to make exposed concrete aesthetic and has been selected in such a way to follow the primary idea of exposing the load-bearing structure of the building attempting to make it look both visible and tangible.
The new Kunsthaus Gallery is the largest area in Switzerland and is witnessed to be a pleasing getaway to the world of art in all of its varied yet rich forms. It completely reflects, portrays and shapes the contemporary trends in the architectural world. It also helps to build Kunsthaus Zurich as a unique collection with a series of greatly enhanced facilities and opens up as a vibrant public space in the heart of Zurich.
Online sources
Citations for websites:
davidchipperfield.com. (n.d.). David Chipperfield Architects. [online] Available at: https://davidchipperfield.com/news/2019/kunsthaus-zrich-update
[Accessed 24 Oct. 2021].
