Josef Paul Kleihues - Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum of Contemporary Art

Josef Paul Kleihues
Hamburger Bahnhof
Museum of Contemporary Art
Berlin, Germany

Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues

The former Hamburger Bahnhof railway station, which was built in the late classical style between 1845 and 1847, belongs to the first generation of this type of building in Berlin. It was shut down in 1884 and, after the iron and glass structure of the platform hall had been removed, was used only for residential and administrative purposes. In 1904 1906, it was converted into a transport and engineering museum. The area formerly occupied by the platform hall was replaced by a modern iron binder structure that was used as an exhibition hall for a collection of the history of the railway technology. In 1912 and 1914 15, two additional wings were built to extend the exhibition space; they form a cour d'honneur with the main building of the former station.

Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues

Drawing courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues

In the course of the conversion by Berlin architect Josef Paul Kleihues to a museum of contemporary art, the central hall and the other buildings have been completely restructured and altered. At the core of the new buildings are two halls that replace the solid side buildings that used to frame the platform hall and then the exhibition hall. The east hall was completed first in 1996.

Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues

These new side halls take up the length of the exhibition hall and, at the same time, mark the end of the original platform hall, against which they are placed in spatial terms. The twin shell roof structure is barrel vaulted inside the hall space in such a way that the cross section of the hall interior is determined geometrically by a square and circle inscribed within it.

Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues

In contrast with the interior wall, which is conceived by Kleihues as a homogeneous surface without visible seams, the exterior wall of the new hall is differentiated in structure, determined by monotactic vertical steel supports on a stone base clad in Crailsheim shell lime stone. The steel supports are attached to the steel frame on the wall by steel brackets, and are an integral part of the wall structure. Rather like "buttresses", they distribute the forces from the wall and ceiling construction outwards.

Site Plan courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues

Model Photo Josef Paul Kleihues

Area: 20,000 square meters
Design start: 1993
Construction completion: 1997

July 6, 2000

Josef Paul Kleihues arcspace features





				Features
		Josef Paul Kleihues Hamburger Bahnhof Museum of Contemporary Art Berlin, Germany Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues The former Hamburger Bahnhof railway station, which was built in the late classical style between 1845 and 1847, belongs to the first generation of this type of building in Berlin. It was shut down in 1884 and, after the iron and glass structure of the platform hall had been removed, was used only for residential and administrative purposes. In 1904 1906, it was converted into a transport and engineering museum. The area formerly occupied by the platform hall was replaced by a modern iron binder structure that was used as an exhibition hall for a collection of the history of the railway technology. In 1912 and 1914 15, two additional wings were built to extend the exhibition space; they form a cour d'honneur with the main building of the former station. Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues Drawing courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues In the course of the conversion by Berlin architect Josef Paul Kleihues to a museum of contemporary art, the central hall and the other buildings have been completely restructured and altered. At the core of the new buildings are two halls that replace the solid side buildings that used to frame the platform hall and then the exhibition hall. The east hall was completed first in 1996. Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues These new side halls take up the length of the exhibition hall and, at the same time, mark the end of the original platform hall, against which they are placed in spatial terms. The twin shell roof structure is barrel vaulted inside the hall space in such a way that the cross section of the hall interior is determined geometrically by a square and circle inscribed within it. Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues Photo courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues In contrast with the interior wall, which is conceived by Kleihues as a homogeneous surface without visible seams, the exterior wall of the new hall is differentiated in structure, determined by monotactic vertical steel supports on a stone base clad in Crailsheim shell lime stone. The steel supports are attached to the steel frame on the wall by steel brackets, and are an integral part of the wall structure. Rather like "buttresses", they distribute the forces from the wall and ceiling construction outwards. Site Plan courtesy Josef Paul Kleihues Model Photo Josef Paul Kleihues Area: 20,000 square meters Design start: 1993 Construction completion: 1997 July 6, 2000 Josef Paul Kleihues arcspace features