Opening its doors in early September, the new Bauhaus museum in Dessau, Germany presents a dedicated space to showcase the extensive collection of objects, models and schoolwork projects in the city’s Bauhaus foundation. A carefully thought-out project, the incredibly special collection requires climate-controlled conditions to house the various pieces – resulting in a new museum run by project architect Roberto Gonzalez of Barcelona-based practice addenda architects.

Conceived ‘as a black box with a glass envelope’ or a ‘winter jacket made of glass’, the simple yet effective design was created to meet requirements of hosting both temporary and permanent exhibitions, events and a gallery which house precious and original documents.

The exterior’s glass skin reacts beautifully to the greenery stemming from the park running parallel with the building’s eastern side. According to Gonzalez, ‘it reflects light back or allows glimpses through the building depending on the time of day and the amount of sunlight.’

The interiors allow for projects to shine – offering plentitude of room to show the various exhibitions and host events and meetings. Bright, airy and spacious, the main gallery is composed of a black box which hovers on two stairwell shafts and brings something new in the world of displays. Given that the Bauhaus movement emphasises a heavy interest in theatre and spectacle, it was only appropriate to incorporate a construction which requires the physical weight of both visitors and exhibits to settle over time.

Location is as significant as ever, whereby rather than being set on the existing Bauhaus site north-west of the centre, a new site was opted for ‘to avoid a museum island scenario,’ as director and CEO of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Claudia Perren asserts. The end result is a special and noteworthy museum that houses some of the most important developments in the world of architecture, and moreover, uncovers how the Bauhaus movement inspired and influenced architecture around the world.

bauhaus-dessau.de 

All image credits: Thomas Meyer