The National Archaeological Museum in Athens – a classicist building designed by Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller – is to be extended. The winning design for this comes from David Chipperfield. Read all about it here.
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens – a classicist building designed by Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller – is to be extended. The winning design for this comes from David Chipperfield.
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is home to one of the most important collections of prehistoric and ancient art in the world. It was built between 1855 and 1874 to designs by Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller. The neoclassical building occupies the area of several blocks in the densely populated Exarcheia district. This also includes the public space of the National Archaeological Museum Garden.
The museum is now to be given an extensive extension. David Chipperfield Architects are responsible for adapting the facility to new standards in terms of quality, accessibility and sustainability. The architectural firm has an international presence, with the Berlin office winning the competition for the National Archaeological Museum. The design prevailed against a shortlist of ten other candidates. The international evaluation committee presented the proposal in the presence of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The design by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin takes up the original idea of the architecture: The National Archaeological Museum represents a romantic, Hellenic idea of an urban landscape that offers lush open spaces in a dense urban network. The refurbishment and extension takes the existing building as a starting point to achieve a framing with nature.
The base of the museum is to be extended to the street to create a new setting for the historic landmark. This measure is also intended to strengthen the museum’s relationship with the city. A new façade will allow open communication with the urban surroundings and also give passers-by a view of the new exhibition spaces. At the same time, two underground galleries will be added.
In one fell swoop, the renovation work will create up to 20,000 square meters more space in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. The architects are also planning a lush green park on the roof of the building, which will be open to the public. Overall, David Chipperfield Architects Berlin want to create a harmonious spatial ensemble that does not represent competition, but rather balances the old and the new.
The logic of the design is based on the topography of the site: Currently, the museum consists of an imposing neoclassical building with a large green plaza. The planned extension will house the museum’s most important public functions. These include a ticket counter, souvenir store, restaurant, auditorium and rooms for temporary and permanent exhibitions. These elements are to be arranged symmetrically, taking into account the historical architecture.
The rammed earth extension is designed to enable visitors to perceive two floors with their continuous, flowing exhibition spaces as soon as they enter the museum. These lead to the existing building. The result is an architectural language with pure, clear spaces, diagonal views and a sophisticated contrast between rammed earth walls and historical rooms. The precise play of light and shadow is intended to evoke a feeling of underground caves.
The museum garden on the roof will provide a cool and calm public space that contrasts with the bustling city. Belgian landscape architects Wirtz International are working with Chipperfield Architects to add rich textures to the landscape. The overall aim is to reinforce the memory of the ancient Greek ideal of a public gathering space for all citizens. On the lower level, the plan is to plant large trees on the roof. Spacious gravel areas, paths, lawns and groups of shrubs as well as groups of umbrella and Aleppo pines with evergreen holm oaks are reminiscent of 19th century parks. The park will be accessible from all sides. At its heart there will be a sunken, sheltered inner courtyard as an attractive meeting place for museum visitors and Athenians.
The design for the museum garden on the roof of the new extension was developed by Wirtz International with Tombazis & Associate Architects, wh-p ingenieure, Werner Sobek and Atelier Brückner. However, it is not yet known when work on the extension to the National Archaeological Museum of Athens will begin and what renovation work is planned.
