Caruso St John have been appointed architects for the renovation of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld.
The Kunsthalle, completed in 1968, is Philip Johnson’s only museum building in Europe. Despite various conversion, renovation and maintenance projects, the building remains broadly as it was when it was built.
The project will involve the modernisation of the building's services, envelope and interior fittings, and a comprehensive renovation and reorganisation to bring it up to modern museum standards. Art spaces will be reconfigured to reflect developments in artistic practice since the 1970s, including the ability to accommodate large-scale works, installation, film, video and multimedia. Existing educational facilities will be expanded and operational processes will be improved to allow the museum to remain open during changeover between exhibitions. The project will also provide additional back of house spaces, including offices, meeting rooms, social areas and storage.
The city of Bielefeld has an ambition to achieve an almost climate-neutral building stock by 2030, and the project is to look for innovative, resource-saving approaches to dealing with listed building fabric, with energy efficiency a priority.
Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
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