The realization competition for the future Selma Museum in Cologne has been decided. First prize was awarded to Stuttgart-based Atelier Brückner. The museum on the history of migration in Germany is to be built in the listed Hall 70 in Cologne-Kalk – a large industrial space built in 1910 on the former site of the Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz machine factory.
With their concept, the architects propose a restrained, use-oriented transformation of the existing building. It is a design that works neither with symbolism nor with creative exaggeration – but with spatial openness, structural clarity and functional respect for the origins of the site.
The future museum will be run by DOMiD – the “Documentation Center and Museum on Migration in Germany”. DOMiD has been collecting and archiving historical testimonies of migrants since the 1990s. The collection comprises more than 150,000 objects, including photographs, identity documents, everyday objects and personal memorabilia. It is unique in Germany and will be made permanently accessible in Cologne-Kalk in future – supplemented by exhibitions, events, educational work and participation formats.
Industrial Hall 70 serves as the structural foundation. Atelier Brückner is not planning a new museum-like construction, but rather a selective revision of the existing structure. The aim is to retain the industrial dimension of the space – with its crane systems, the row of columns and the continuous roof shape – as an atmospheric basis.
The design structures the building into three zones: Reception and foyer in the west, exhibition area in the center, education and event areas in the east. The main entrance leads via a newly designed forecourt into the foyer, from where all other uses are accessed. A central corridor runs along the longitudinal axis and divides the hall in a transverse direction.
The additive principle is characteristic: instead of space-consuming installations, modular, inserted bodies are created that can be used flexibly. They enable protected situations for exhibitions without losing the open structure of the hall. Separations are created by textile or mobile elements, not by solid partitions. The exhibition does not follow a fixed route – rather, the architecture offers a layout that allows for different readings and movements.
The choice of materials and surfaces remain committed to their industrial origins: Concrete, steel, exposed brickwork, complemented by light-colored wooden surfaces and textile elements. The hall is largely naturally lit – via existing ribbon windows and newly integrated skylights. The architects do not rely on effect lighting, but on calm, uniform lighting that supports exhibitions and visitors alike.
The permanent exhibition comprises a chronological presentation of German history, supplemented by perspectives on migration, as well as six concept rooms. A cylindrical room called “Pusteblume” with a light and sound installation invites visitors to reflect on the theme of love.
The museum sees itself as a “third place” – a space beyond work and home that is not subject to consumption. Participation is a central guiding principle: citizens were already involved in the planning phase in so-called DOMiDLabs. The museum is intended to be a place of exchange and encounter where questions of social coexistence can be negotiated . The Selma Museum is an open house that retells the history of the immigration society and offers a space for everyone.
Perhaps also interesting? The Sudeten German Museum in Munich by pmp architekten.
