The Berlin Palace 2.0. Concrete and Baroque

Palace and piazza: two essential features of any urban public space. Franco Stella explains the ideas on which the architecture of the Humboldt Forum is based.

The scaffolding has been removed from the Palace’s new old facades on the Lustgarten to reveal a gleaming “quince yellow”. Perhaps an appropriate term for the colour, because how many of us can honestly remember what a quince looks (or tastes) like?

In the public mind the Humboldt Forum is associated with ethnological and historical exhibits. That might be correct, but it’s only part of the truth. In this interview, Lars-Christian Koch, director of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin collections in the Humboldt Forum and Hans-Dieter Hegner, chief technology officer of the Stiftung Humboldt Forum, talk about the role of contemporary art in the new institution.

The construction work on the Humboldt Forum is well under way. Here are some insights regarding the planning and the different stages and challenges of the exterior design.

The Humboldt Forum is there to be experienced – and not just indoors. There will be discoveries to be made in the outside areas, too. The newly designed riverbank of the Spree on the eastern side of the Palace is just one example.

In addition to numerous exhibition spaces and event venues, the Humboldt Forum will also offer areas for relaxation and indulging the senses. One of them is the restaurant on the Palace roof.

Over the centuries, imposing sculptures were mounted on the facades and gates of the Berlin Palace. Deciphering their stories and riddles reveals political and art historical aesthetic agendas.

To build a baroque palace anew—that is an art in itself. Above all for the façade and its sculptures, classical craftsmanship is needed, coupled with modern technology. And, of course, people who are passionate about their work.

Cooling, heating, ventilation, ensuring the right humidity: Museum exhibits require a climate specifically tailored to their materials. This means the Humboldt Forum has an enormous energy requirement. Thomas Herrmann, Head of Facility Management at the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss, explains how it can be filled in a sustainable manner.

Like most other new cultural edifices, the Humboldt Forum is to be equipped with the very latest media technology. Nothing spectacular, you might think, but there’s something different going on in this project – a project destined to be different from the start.