From competition design to construction start

After the competition had concluded, a series of planning steps and coordination measures were required before construction of the building could begin.

On the one hand, the planning team led by the architects worked with the future users to further develop the building. They determined the floor plan – in other words, the location of the exhibition spaces, storage areas, educational rooms, and gastronomy. They also refined the materiality of the façade, i.e. the outward appearance of the museum.

On the other hand, the building administration created the necessary technical prerequisites. For example, it examined the building site and arranged for the relocation of utility lines beneath the construction area.

Laying of the Foundation Stone and Current Status

Groundbreaking took place in December 2019, and on 9 February 2024 the foundation stone was laid – a major milestone for the project. Construction is now underway, implementing the further developed plans. The aim is a building that is socially and ecologically sustainable as well as inclusive.

 

Links for Additional Information

2018

2019

2023

2024

SPK appointed independent expert committee

To accompany the planning for the Museum of the 20th Century at the Kulturforum in Berlin, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, in consultation with the then Minister of State for Culture and Media, Monika Grütters, appointed an independent expert panel in 2018. Acting as a neutral body at the interface between politics, the public, the client and the building administration, the panel advised the Foundation on complex issues and, when necessary, also served as a mediator.

SPK President Hermann Parzinger appointed the following architects to the panel:

  • Arno Lederer, chairman
  • Andreas Hild
  • Hilde Léon
  • Regula Lüscher
  • Hans-Günter Merz

Participants in the process: Who does what?

Design: Herzog & de Meuron

Highest user authority: Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM) 

Responsible for building measures and project owner: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SPK)

User: Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (SMB)

Highest technical authority: Current responsible ministry (replacing the former BMUB):
Since 2018, building affairs have again been under federal responsibility. They were first assigned to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) and, since 2021, have been part of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB).

Technical supervision on management level:  Bundesbau Baden-Württemberg – Betriebsleitung (BBBW-BL) 

Construction implementation level: Bundesbau Baden-Württemberg – Staatliches Hochbauamt Karlsruhe (BBBW-HBA KA)