Architect David Chipperfield on the Museum Folkwang – just being beautiful is not enough
The new building of the Museum Folkwang gets a lot of attention in the German Embassy in London. In the course of the event „from coal to culture – the birth of a new metropolis”, 2010LAB.tv had a conversation with the architect David Chipperfield, the German ambassador Georg Boomgaarden, and the museum’s director, Dr. Hartwig Fischer.
When developing the long-awaited new building, David Copperfield focussed on more than just mere beauty. He considers the demolition of the unloved previous building a warning: „Be cautious - or one day, you’ll also be in that position“, he says in the Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper. In his opinion, the architecture of a museum has to serve the arts – and not vice versa.
The unpopular building, put up in the 80s, wasn’t easy to access for the citizens. For the British architect, the problem was „the way in which the building was connected to the city”. To avoid separating the building too much from city life, Chipperfield committed to the concept which saved the old building from being demolished: „Absolute simplicity, there should be one level on which all visitors can roam.“ Besides, there was another task to handle: how can the building turn itself more towards the public? For Chipperfield, the answer was obvious: he simply turned the building around, logistically.
Now, the visitor looks into a spacious, stairless, mostly glass-paned room ensemble. The museum opens towards very busy Bismarckstraße – and also for the population of a whole city. Still, everything remains very low-key, well laid-out, and transparent, fitting into the cityscape.
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