Museum at the Spandau Citadel

Berlin, Germany

Photo © Jens Achtermann

Architects: Staab Architekten

Location: Berlin, Germany
Year: 2016

At the Spandau Citadel, one of the best-preserved Renaissance fortresses in Germany, two listed buildings in the interior courtyard are to be remodelled: the former supply depot will become a museum of Berlin monuments and the former barracks will be converted to house temporary exhibitions and a conference and event centre.

The aim is to strengthen the impact of this imposing site using reduced means, by organising a functioning museum and developing an exhibition concept that mediates between the spatial power of the historic complex and the requirements of an exciting and contemporary presentation.

Both buildings will be freed of more recent installations and additions. In the supply depot the original wall fabric will be uncovered again and evened out on the interior with a non-opaque plaster slurry. This will accentuate the spatial presence of the edifice while rendering the various time layers legible.

Inside, a new floor slab will be inserted with a polished concrete surface which will constitute the “foundation” for the new exhibition design and hold all the required building infrastructure. The concept for the exhibition involves an oscillation between the historic space displaying the fixed features of the original building and media dramatisations presented in inserted areas.