In 2003, the practice of the British architect David Chipperfield started carefully restoring the facade and the interior in full respect for the history of the building while at the same time creating a modern museum. In this way, it was possible to restore the extraordinary building to its original splendour. The building was re-opened to the public in 2009.
The museum puts exhibits from three collections into a spatial and thematic context: The Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, the Museum for Pre- and Early History and the Collection of Antiquities. This combined presentation enables the visitors to appreciate the development of pre- and protohistoric cultures from the Middle East to the Atlantic and from North Africa to Scandinavia in an unprecedented breadth and depth.
Services Wenzel + Wenzel: Project Supervison
Client: Stitftung Preusischer Kulturbesitz, represented by Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung
Design: David Chipperfield Architects Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, Berlin
Project data:
period of performance: 2009 – 2018
gross room volume: ca. 160,000 m³
gross floor area: ca. 20,500 m²
costs: ca. €230m
Copyright:
Text: © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin