m.XX, Berlin, Germany, 2016
The design for Museum des 20 Jahrhunderts (M20) offers an opportunity to fundamentally reassess the typology of the museum, shifting it from what some see as a passive repository of sacred objects to a tantalizing and participatory platform, a space of public exchange that embraces the complexity of today.
Rather than a series of static rooms, m.XX redefines the museum as an open structure. As an overarching gesture, a series of shifting “Wandscheiben“ form the framework of the plan. The structure redefines the classicist enfilade typology towards a dynamic spatial system that opens up new vistas, spatial linkages, and juxtapositions. Apart from organizing space and flow, these elements serve as the main structural walls, allowing large column-free galleries, atria, and light wells and a variety of ceiling heights. With their 3 meter width, they accommodate circulation stairs and elevator cores, mechanical spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, storage, and equipment.
We place the museum structure on equal footing with the tapestry of the city. The overall volume breaks down into three shifting frames to create a humane scale. A series of large windows and public terraces open the building up and offer views to key landmarks. The Kulturforum is at the center of historic confrontations and urban encounters. Within this archipelago of characters, m.XX finds its own form and center of gravity.