A 2,500 sq m extension of the Küppersmühle modern art museum in Duisburg has opened to the public.
The expansion, another art project for the CV of Swiss architect Herzog & de Meuron, hosts 300 pieces from the Ströher Collection of German post-war art.
As with the Tate Modern in London, the approach is to marry an industrial brick exterior with the cool styling of museum architecture – in this case an interior set within a white cube.
The three-part extension reaches heights of around 30m, with two containing exhibition space and the third housing utilities and art-handling facilities. These have five storeys, and are connected with each other and the existing museum on the first and second levels.
Herzog & de Meuron worked on the original gallery in 1999, which is based in a refurbished grain mill in Duisburg’s inner harbour. An extension was due to be built in 2008, but this was abandoned owing to faulty work and financial constraints.
The architect said in a statement: “The proposal was to erect a building whose dimensions and materials accord with the sequence of historic brick structures lining the dockside”.
“The new structure thus completes the existing museum complex in a visually appropriate way and forms a suitable conclusion to the row of buildings along the dock. At first glance it might seem as though the new building had always been there.”
Images courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron
