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Client
DMT Gesellschaft für Lehre und Bildung mbH
Status
Completed
Progress
2008-2010
Size
1,800
m2
Collecting, preserving, researching and conveying: the core tasks of any museum are clearly defined. They provide artworks with a permanent home that protects them and makes them accessible to the public. At the same time, museum architecture is an expression of the history of the place where it is built.
The Deutsches Bergbau-Museum (German Mining Museum) is one of eight research museums of the Leibniz Association. It's dedicated to the heritage of mining. CROSS Architecture designed the new museum extension as a monolith with incisions. It picks up on themes of mining — a massive volume traversed by corridors, tunnels, and ramps. The work done underground for many decades is brought to light by the architecture. The museum extension becomes a tangible exhibit on three floors.
Column-free interior spaces and maximum flexibility for special exhibitions were requirements specified by the client. Walls, ceilings and the roof are conceived as a box. The result is understated exhibition spaces made of fair-faced concrete, offering an unrestricted stage for artworks on 1,800 square metres.
The glazed incisions of the circulation tunnels are a consequence of the design concept. On the one hand, this visible tunnel system connects the inner exhibition halls. On the other hand, it provides expansive views of the city — a piece of identity for the Ruhr area. The melon-yellow colour scheme quotes the effect of fire and embers, adding an additional connection to the mining theme. Another deliberately employed stylistic element is the subtly glittering black of the façade — coal speckles provided the inspiration.
On the upper floors, the extension is connected to the main building via two bridges. Thus, the new building naturally complements the tour of the exhibition.
“This building should be fun! Around 400,000 people visit the Bergbau-Museum every year; the visit is an integral part of the curriculum at many schools. Children take away not only the mining experience but also an architectural experience from a visit. We see it as a kind of treasure hunt between what you see from the outside and the content that awaits you inside.”
DMT Gesellschaft für Lehre und Bildung mbH
Competition, 1st prize
Service phase 1-8
M. Sporer, C. Wens, A. Gerlach, T. Kortmann, S. Rullkötter
GREENBOX Landschaftsarchitekten
WinterIngenieurtechnik GmbH
Ingenieurbüro Wittbold
ISWR Klapdor GmbH
Lichtplanung A. Hartung
Udo Kowalski, Gerhard Hagen, Guido Erbring
Ecola Award 2010, "Auszeichnung guter Bauten 2010“ from BDA Bochum, Award "Architekturpreis Nordrhein-Westfalen 2011”, iconic Award 2013: winner, best architects 2014
