From the outside, the building appears like a dark, closed block. The roof curves down low on the edges. It is monolithically clad in anthracite gray basalt lava on the facades and roof surfaces. The building is clearly set apart from the adjacent level and seems to emerge from the deep.
A ten-meter-high outdoor stairway leads to the entrance level four meters above the courtyard level. Inside, a hall lit from above divides all of the levels into two differently proportioned groups of rooms. The entrance level is in the center of the building's height. Two main exhibition levels are above it and two below it. Another lower level is used for storage and utilities. On one side of access hall, five five-meter-high, pillar-free exhibition areas measuring about 700 square meters each are stacked above each other. These areas can be flexibly subdivided. On the other side, there are more intimate rooms measuring 250 square meters each. Here the ceilings are 3.50 meters high.
In between, openly positioned in the 35-meter-high hall, are the passenger elevator bank and the freight elevator. The various levels are connected with footbridges. The first major exhibition level, the shop, and the café on the mezzanine connecting to the old building are directly adjacent to the foyer. An independently usable event area is below the outdoor stairway. The administrative offices are in the neighboring old building wing, and can be reached over the bridge.
Delivery areas and workshops are in the Oval Wing and are connected to the new building with an underground tunnel. In terms of architectural design, the museum facilities are limited to generous reduction. They are equipped with a sophisticated and flexible artificial lighting system.
The upper exhibition hall receives natural light through a large opening in the curved ceiling. The other slit-like openings and the panorama window on the uppermost floor give visitors a view to the outside and help provide a sense of purpose of orientation.
Materials Used:
Basalt lava for the facade, roof, walls, and floors in the hall; cast iron for the footbridges, steps, and wall paneling in the access core of the hall; glass for railings and barriers; terrazzo for the floors in the exhibition halls and all other public areas.
