james simon galerie by david chipperfield architects tops out in berlin

berlin’s james simon galerie has topped out, six years after construction work first began on site in 2010.

designed by david chipperfield architects, the building forms an integral part of the masterplan for the city’s museum island approved in 1999. named after one of berlin’s greatest patrons, the james simon galerie has been described by david chipperfield as ‘both a building and place’, explaining that ‘as well as its role to supplement the museological program, its purpose is to reorganise urban relations and accessibility within the museum island’.the new intervention will serve as an entrance building between the neighboring kupfergraben canal and the western façade of the neues museum, completed by prussian architect friedrich august stüler in 1855. the project involves rearranging the relationships and open spaces between the adjacent pergamon museum and the neues museum, and giving architectural form to the site’s large-scale urban qualities.

the design creates a link to the main entrance of the pergamon museum and to the archaeological promenade at basement level. a new row of columns continues stüler’s colonnade, which currently ends at the neues museum, and forms a small courtyard. a high plinth occupies the bank of the kupfergraben canal, level with the pergamon museum’s main exhibition floor. large parts of this colonnade on the southwest facing terrace remain publicly accessible outside of opening hours.

the james simon galerie itself is situated between the elevated colonnade and the new courtyard. an open outdoor staircase faces the lustgarten and serves as the main point of access to the new entrance building. once inside, visitors are led upstairs to a generously proportioned hall, which corresponds with the pergamon museum’s main exhibition floor. a café and a link to the pergamon museum are embedded within the colonnade, while a mezzanine floor between the foyer and the upper reception hall accommodates a cloakroom, toilets and a shop. temporary exhibition spaces and an auditorium are situated at basement level, which connects to the archaeological promenade.

the appearance of the james simon galerie is derived from its surrounding context on the museum island, reflecting classical architecture without imitating it. the use of reconstituted stone with natural stone aggregate blends in with neighboring buildings that feature limestone, sandstone and rendered façades. the completion of the new entrance building is scheduled for 2018.