Advanced Design Studio, Behnisch

The city of Munich is experiencing a surge of investments in its cultural institutions. With recently completed Brandhorst Museum (Sauerbruch Hutton), the future addition to the Munich Lenbachhaus (Norman Foster), and planned opera house (Coop-Himmelblau), among others, the city is positioning itself to become a world leader in the arts and culture.

However, in the Maxvorstadt district where both art galleries and museums have collected, this new development has accentuated the disparity between the institutions. According to the Pinakothek der Modern Board Chairman, the area suffers from an absence of a sense of place and a system or orientation. In cooperation with the museums and local offi cials, and following several conferences with architects, curators and state offi cials, this studio is part of the larger world-wide discussion of the development of this Kunstareal.

In this studio, students will focus on two tasks: to create a master plan for the Kunstareal and then design a gallery within this master plan. In the first three weeks students will define the boundaries of the Kunstareal and devise a strategy that addresses the two main pitfalls of the site: the Kunstareal’s current absence of a sense of place and system of orientation. Students should ask themselves; is the site boundary correctly defi ned? what should the boundary condition be? how can the existing buildings add to the sense of place? how can the defi nition of future building sites enhance the cohesiveness of the Kunstareal Students are encouraged to work in small groups during this phase.

The following ten weeks will be spent designing a small museum for contemporary exhibitions. The gallery design should be considered within the context of the proposed site plan and students should question how the building navigates between respecting and reinforcing the master plan while maintaining its autonomy as an individual institution. These decisions should be refl ected not only in the master plan to building relationship, but in the building to detail relationship. Students can work either in small groups or individually. The studio will travel to Munich to visit the site and explore several of the local museums. During the visit students be conversing with people involved in the project including museum curators from the Pinakothek der Modern and Haus der Kunst, and local government officials. Additionally, the studio will be traveling to the Buchheim Museum in Bernreid by Behnisch Architekte, a building with sustainable concepts like geothermal and slab coolingBehnisch and Partner.

In practical terms, students will be asked to address planing for future buildings and expansions in the Kunstareal, including the current need for more storage space. In the gallery design, day lighting will be a critical factor, in addition to sustainable building practices.