Exilmuseum
Concept
2020
Berlin, Germany
9000 sqm
Stiftung Exil Museum Berlin
Kéré Architecture’s proposal for the Exilmuseum is located on the site of the Anhalter Bahnhof, a former railway terminus. It is the response to a competition to design a museum that commemorates those who fled Berlin as political refugees during the Third Reich.The ruin of the Anhalter Bahnhof’s entrance portal is a historically sensitive landmark for the city of Berlin, as the station was the gate through which most of the Nazi’s opponents were deported. Ever since its destruction at the end of the second world war, the remains of the building have been the subject of debate.
In the proposed design, the monumental loss of human capital caused by exile and the rupture it creates in a society and its culture are symbolically represented by a deep crevasse that divides the building into two wings. A grand exterior staircase runs along this fissure, inviting visitors up to the glazed foyer at the heart of the building. The steps serve as the main entrance to the museum, but also as a public stage and gathering space. Spanning the tall atrium of the foyer, two bridges connect the gallery spaces above.
A polychromatic stone façade is designed to encase the building in an intricate motif of increasingly narrow elements. Carefully placed openings break up its pattern, allowing natural light into the interior gallery spaces as needed.
Central to Kéré Architecture’s concept is the building’s role not only as a historical landmark but also as a focal point for residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. To this end, the exterior staircase is open to visitors and the public, arriving at a roof garden offering recreational areas and sweeping panoramic views.
Kéré Architecture’s proposal for the Exilmuseum is located on the site of the Anhalter Bahnhof, a former railway terminus. It is the response to a competition to design a museum that commemorates those who fled Berlin as political refugees during the Third Reich.The ruin of the Anhalter Bahnhof’s entrance portal is a historically sensitive landmark for the city of Berlin, as the station was the gate through which most of the Nazi’s opponents were deported. Ever since its destruction at the end of the second world war, the remains of the building have been the subject of debate.
In the proposed design, the monumental loss of human capital caused by exile and the rupture it creates in a society and its culture are symbolically represented by a deep crevasse that divides the building into two wings. A grand exterior staircase runs along this fissure, inviting visitors up to the glazed foyer at the heart of the building. The steps serve as the main entrance to the museum, but also as a public stage and gathering space. Spanning the tall atrium of the foyer, two bridges connect the gallery spaces above.
A polychromatic stone façade is designed to encase the building in an intricate motif of increasingly narrow elements. Carefully placed openings break up its pattern, allowing natural light into the interior gallery spaces as needed.
Central to Kéré Architecture’s concept is the building’s role not only as a historical landmark but also as a focal point for residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. To this end, the exterior staircase is open to visitors and the public, arriving at a roof garden offering recreational areas and sweeping panoramic views.
