Topping-out ceremony on Museum Island: The James-Simon-Galerie takes shape

Press release from 04/13/2016

With the construction of the high colonnades, the new entrance building to the Museum Island is visibly taking shape. The topping-out wreath was hoisted over the shell at midday today (13 April 2016).

In the presence of Federal Building Minister Barbara Hendricks, Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters, the President of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, Petra Wesseler (BBR), the President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), Hermann Parzinger, and the architects David Chipperfield and Alexander Schwarz of David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, the topping-out wreath was ceremoniously raised today over the James-Simon-Galerie, the new entrance building to Museum Island Berlin, in the presence of numerous construction workers, planners, participants and guests.

The new James-Simon-Galerie, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, will be the entrance building to the Museum Island and will provide key central service functions for the museums, including ticket sales, a café, cloakrooms and a museum shop. An auditorium and special exhibition areas are also planned.

The James-Simon-Galerie will lead visitors to the Ancient Architectures Tour in the adjacent Pergamon Museum and via the basement to the Archaeological Promenade, which will connect four of the island's five museums. The individual entrances to the museums will also remain.

The building is part of the Museum Island Masterplan, which was adopted in 1999 to preserve the UNESCO World Heritage Site and at the same time transform it into a contemporary museum complex.

Federal Building Minister Barbara Hendricks: "The James-Simon-Galerie will give the Museum Island, a magnet for the public, additional appeal. Almost all the museums can be reached from this central entrance building via the archaeological promenade. David Chipperfield has developed a magnificent concept and designed a clear building with a contemporary form and materiality. The large open staircase is an impressive welcoming gesture for the entire Museum Island. For the Federal Government, the preservation and expansion of the world cultural heritage site is of central importance in terms of cultural and building policy across all political parties. We are therefore investing a total of over 2 billion euros in Museum Island and the Humboldt Forum on the Spree Island."

Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters: "The James-Simon-Galerie is the entrance to the experience of art from several thousand years of human history, the gateway to Berlin's Treasure Island. Unique collections as well as the magnificent architectural effect of its individual buildings and the radiance of the ensemble justify the wealth and significance of the Museum Island as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today we can celebrate the architectural and functional completion of the James-Simon-Galerie with the topping-out ceremony. In order to maintain and preserve this splendour for future generations, the federal government is funding the Museum Island Master Plan for a quarter of a century with over 1.4 billion euros. The largest project - the Pergamon Museum - will also be completed by 2025. This makes the Museum Island Masterplan a success story."

SPK President Hermann Parzinger: "The James-Simon-Galerie is transforming Museum Island Berlin into the 21st century. With its design, the building takes up the classical elements of Schinkel and Stüler, interprets them in the language of our time and integrates the building harmoniously into the historical ensemble. With its functions, the building brings together everything that hardly played a role in the museum world of the 19th century. The James-Simon-Galerie enables us to welcome visitors in a friendly manner, guide them according to their interests and promote an intensive encounter with the collections. The Museum Island Berlin symbolises the manifold interweaving of cultures. The social mission of museums to make this tangible for a broad and diverse public is more relevant today than ever. I am delighted that we have taken a big step towards this goal today."

The wide flight of steps, visible from afar, emphasises the building's function as a reception building for the entire museum complex. The high colonnade of the James-Simon Gallery, consisting of 92 square pillars around 9 metres high, extends along the Kupfergraben over a length of around 100 metres. The materials chosen for the building are glass and artificial stone with natural stone inclusions.

BBR President Barbara Wesseler commented on the construction progress: "The fact that the project has progressed according to plan since the foundation stone was laid makes me confident that we will also master the next stages well. Once it opens in 2018, the James-Simon-Galerie will be able to welcome visitors from all over the world to the Museum Island."

Architect David Chipperfield also categorised the new entrance building in terms of its significance for the city of Berlin: "The James-Simon-Galerie is not just a building, but also a public space in the city. In addition to its role of complementing the museological programme, it reorganises the urban relationships and accessibility of the Museum Island. It is a building that is characterised not so much by its function as by its responsibility as a public building in the centre of the city."

The topping-out ceremony marks another milestone in the construction process. The shell of the building is largely erected and will be completed by the end of the year, including the exposed concrete walls inside the building. The installation of the artificial stone façade will continue and the installation of the exterior windows will begin soon.

One of this year's focal points is the technical extension of the building, which will be followed by the interior work in 2017. The construction of the "New Courtyard" between the James-Simon-Galerie and the Neues Museum is also scheduled for 2017. The James-Simon-Galerie is scheduled to open in 2018.

The building is named after the Berlin entrepreneur James Simon (1851-1932), one of the most important patrons of the Wilhelmine era, to whom the National Museums in Berlin owe numerous high-calibre works, including the world-famous bust of Nefertiti and the Ishtar Gate.

Further information

To overview

2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Search