General refurbishment of a landmark of modern architecture after almost 50 years of use
The Neue Nationalgalerie, originally built between 1965 and 1968 on behalf of the Berlin Senate, is the only building erected by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 to 1969) in Germany after the Second World War. As one of the great monuments of 20th century architectural history, it enjoys architectural monument status. Since its opening, this temple to 20th-century art has not undergone any fundamental refurbishment work. The general refurbishment has been planned in full compliance with historic restoration standards and aims to upgrade the building’s structural engineering while preserving its iconic exterior and interior design and dispensing with modern aesthetic interventions. David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin – London, has been appointed as lead architect. The project stakeholders include the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin as the building’s users, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation as owners and the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning as their representatives. At the start of the project in 2016, BAL was appointed and will remain onboard until 2020.
