First prize for the Neue Nationalgalerie - basic refurbishment has been honoured by the Association of German Architects
Press release from 01/25/2022
The basic refurbishment of the Neue Nationalgalerie has been awarded first prize by the BDA Berlin (Association of German Architects). This was announced yesterday by the BDA. The interdisciplinary jury particularly praised the "refurbishment carried out with masterful precision and an almost invisible hand". According to the jury, the renovation shows "that it is possible to modernise listed buildings to bring them up to the latest energy standards and make them barrier-free without compromising their other architectural qualities." It was also praiseworthy "how contemporary architects honour the work of the previous generation through the intelligent technical integration of contemporary design elements while remaining discreet and restrained."
The building designed by Mies van der Rohe at the Kulturforum Berlin is one of the outstanding buildings of western modernism. Hermann Parzinger, President of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), which is responsible for the building, says: "We are delighted that the project has been so successful. This icon of architectural history has been completely renovated according to plans by David Chipperfield Architects and made fit for contemporary museum operations. Since its reopening in August 2021, the museum has once again been a major crowd-puller in Berlin."
The basic refurbishment took place from 2016 to 2021 under the technical responsibility of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning. The building has been open to visitors again since August 2021 and presents an exhibition on Alexander Calder and major works of classical modernism from the Nationalgalerie collection.
The award ceremony will take place on 3 May 2022. The BDA Prize Berlin is awarded every three years for exemplary projects. In 2009, the reconstruction of the Neues Museum on Museum Island Berlin, also planned by David Chipperfield Architects, received this award.