Architectural competition for the refurbishment of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin at the Kulturforum in keeping with its listed status decided
Press release from 09/06/2019
First prize for gmp Generalplanungsgesellschaft mbH, Berlin
In the course of the forthcoming major refurbishment, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin building on Potsdamer Strasse (Kulturforum) is to be redesigned in line with its listed status so that it better meets contemporary technical and functional requirements and some areas can be reorganised.
The design by Berlin-based gmp Generalplanungsgesellschaft mbH was awarded first prize. This decision was made by the jury at its meeting yesterday. The competition was organised and carried out by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) on behalf of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK).
Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and client: "I am looking forward to working with such a renowned office with experience in large-scale projects as gmp. The competition entry convinced us because it courageously seizes the opportunities presented by the renovation of the Staatsbibliothek Haus Potsdamer Straße to not only upgrade and modernise the heart of the building with the foyer and the floor above, but also to further develop it to meet the needs of a 21st century library."
Barbara Schneider-Kempf, Director General of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin: "The winning design, submitted by the renowned and highly experienced firm gmp, gives the Staatsbibliothek the opportunity to open up even more than before, beyond the specialised public, with its services and events to urban society and to anchor itself in it. The design shows an inviting situation through the further development of the foyer with a publicly accessible café and the passage from Marlene-Dietrich-Platz to the Kulturforum."
The redesign to be developed - also with regard to accessibility - concerns the foyer with its public uses, the positioning of the cafeteria, the access control area and the planning of a further entrance to Marlene-Dietrich-Platz, which will take account of the current urban planning situation. The measures cover an area of around 11,000 square metres.
Petra Wesseler, President of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning: "The aim of the competition was to find a suitable architectural firm that identifies with the values of Hans Scharoun's architecture and can master this challenging task of modernisation. I am delighted that with the first prize winner, gmp, we have found an office that has proven with its design that it can preserve and revitalise the high architectural qualities, but also develop them further."
The selected office is to be commissioned with the overall planning of the basic refurbishment of the building designed by Hans Scharoun. This also includes the part of the building that houses the Ibero-American Institute, another institution of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. This involves a total usable area of around 67,000 square metres. The refurbishment requires particular sensitivity in dealing with the original substance and a high quality of detail.
As library operations are to be maintained in some areas during the construction work, the provisional arrangements and necessary relocations place high demands on the planners.
The 14 participants in the restricted, single-phase competition were selected according to qualitative criteria in a preliminary application process. The jury, chaired by Stuttgart architect Volker Kurrle, voted by a majority in favour of the design by gmp Generalplanungsgesellschaft.
The jury awarded second prize to the Berlin office of David Chipperfield Architects.
The Berlin-based Grüntuch Ernst Planungsgesellschaft and heneghan peng architects, Berlin / Dublin, in partnership with adb Ewerien und Obermann and SHS Architekten Stelzner Herbert Sütterle PartG mbB, received commendations.
In accordance with the jury's recommendation, the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) will now enter into contract negotiations with the first prize winner on behalf of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK).
The building was constructed between 1967 and 1978 according to plans by Hans Scharoun with significant support from Edgar Wisniewski. It is considered an outstanding example of modernist architecture, particularly library architecture, and is protected as a registered monument.
The exhibition of all competition entries will open on 30 September 2019 at 6 pm at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Potsdamer Straße 33, 10785 Berlin, and will be on display from 1 to 15 October, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 10 pm, except on 3 October.