Detail page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Hermann Parzinger says: "Today, after more than 100 years, a foundation stone is being laid again on Museum Island. The most important architects of their time have built here. We are now continuing this tradition with David Chipperfield. After successfully refurbishing three of the five historic buildings and reopening them in splendour, we are now creating a new building that will welcome visitors, provide orientation and offer space for temporary exhibitions."

Michael Eissenhauer added: "By naming the new entrance building, we are paying homage to James Simon, the most important patron in the history of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. It is not only the quantity of artworks that he donated to the museums that is impressive, but also their quality. The list of top works that we owe to his donations and sponsorship ranges from the bust of Nefertiti and the Ishtar Gate to Mantegna's Maria with the Sleeping Child."

The new entrance building will take over central service functions of the Museum Island. Around three million visitors a year will be welcomed here, as befits an internationally important museum complex today. The 4,600 square metres of floor space will house the museum shop and catering facilities, ticket offices and cloakrooms. In addition to this central infrastructure for the entire Museum Island, an auditorium and a room for special exhibitions as well as offices and storage space are also planned.

The laying of the foundation stone marks a milestone in the construction process. Since 2009, civil engineering work has been carried out to create the excavation pit and foundations. The building site is characterised by a glacial outwash that stretches from the Altes Museum to below the Pergamonmuseum. Due to this so-called scour, load-bearing subsoil can only be reached at depths of 40 metres in some places. The groundwater is up to around 2.5 metres below ground level. As the extreme conditions of the subsoil caused even greater difficulties than initially assumed and a civil engineering company also had to be cancelled, there were significant delays in the schedule and an increase in costs. A total cost of 98.8 million euros has now been approved for the building.

Three of the five excavation troughs have currently been completed and the final work is being carried out on the others. The civil engineering work is expected to be completed by the end of 2013 / 2014. Work on the shell is scheduled to begin at the start of 2014. Completion of the James-Simon-Galerie is scheduled for 2017.

Architecture and utilisation

In its plans for the new building, David Chipperfield Architects takes up classic architectural elements and interprets them in a contemporary design language. The James-Simon-Galerie will thus blend harmoniously into the historical ensemble of the Museum Island, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. On the southern side, facing the Lustgarten, a large open staircase will characterise the building and invite visitors with an appropriately generous gesture. On its western side, the James-Simon-Galerie will rise directly out of the water of the Kupfergraben, with its lower section continuing the base of the neighbouring Pergamon Museum, while a so-called high colonnade rises above it. This historical motif of the colonnades, translated into modern form, is a defining element of the architecture of the new building. Chipperfield's design extends Stüler's colonnades, which run along Bodestraße to the south of the Neues Museum, as far as the James Simon Gallery and runs along its eastern side. This creates a smaller colonnade courtyard, the so-called New Courtyard, between the James Simon Gallery and the Neues Museum. In addition to the colonnades, the staggering of the structures also creates an open, permeable overall impression of the new entrance building. Various spatial elements and levels open up new perspectives for visitors. The high colonnade on the Kupfergraben side, for example, will be defined by filigree rows of columns and glass, allowing a variety of insights and views. A south-west-facing terrace will be created here, most of which will be freely accessible outside opening hours.

The different levels are also evident inside the building, which is divided into three main storeys, a mezzanine floor inserted between the upper levels and a basement intended for technical and internal functions. All floors are connected via a large staircase and lifts. Two entrances lead into the interior of the James-Simon-Galerie: visitors can access the foyer on the top level via the open staircase from Bodestraße, where they can obtain information and tickets. The café (200 square metres), the exit to the terrace overlooking Kupfergraben and the entrance to the Pergamon Museum are also located here. Another, smaller foyer is directly accessible at ground level from the Neuer Hof - opposite the west entrance to the Neues Museum. From here, visitors have direct access to the auditorium (approx. 300 seats) located below the open staircase. On the mezzanine floor between the two foyer levels, and therefore quickly accessible from both entrance areas, there are cloakrooms, lockers and toilet facilities as well as the museum shop (330 square metres). A large window opening also offers a view of the Kupfergraben. From the small foyer, visitors continue down to level 0 with the special exhibition area (approx. 650 m², plus approx. 350 m² of associated preparation rooms) and the transition to the Archaeological Promenade. There, the National Museums in Berlin will present an exhibition on the collections and buildings of the Museum Island, thus creating a thematic prelude to the visit.

Museum Island Masterplan

The James-Simon-Galerie is part of the Museum Island Masterplan. This was adopted by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in 1999 in order to renovate the ensemble of five historic buildings on the Spree Island and at the same time develop it into a contemporary museum quarter. All measures are being carried out in close coordination with the relevant authorities for the protection of historical monuments. The Museum Island Berlin is scheduled for completion in 2025 in line with the masterplan. In 2001, the Alte Nationalgalerie was the first historical building on the Museum Island to be reopened, followed by the Bode Museum, formerly the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, in 2006 and the Neues Museum in 2009. The Colonnade Courtyard in front of the Alte Nationalgalerie and Neues Museum was reopened in 2010. The Archaeological Centre on the Museum Courtyards, which opened in 2012, is also part of the Museum Island master plan. Since 2013, the north wing of the Pergamon Museum has been closed for basic repairs, and the Altars Hall will also be closed from 2014. After completion of this construction phase in 2019, the basic refurbishment of the south wing and the construction of the new fourth wing will follow.

All construction measures completed to date as part of the Museum Island Masterplan have been completed on time and on budget, with the costs for the Neues Museum even coming in 40 million below the approved costs.

Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, which is responsible for the realisation of the individual construction projects of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

• Digital press kit (zip folder, 7 MB)
• Website for the Museum Island Masterplan
• Press images