mies van der rohe's neue nationalgalerie restored by david chipperfield architects

the first images of the renovated ‘neue nationalgalerie’, the famous museum building in berlin designed by mies van der rohe, have been revealed. in 2015, the institution closed to the public to prepare for a comprehensive refurbishment by david chipperfield’s berlin office. now, after years of painstaking work, the building has been comprehensively restored to its former glory. 

image © BBR / thomas bruns (also main image)

with the construction work now complete, the handover of the keys for the neue nationalgalerie is planned for april 2021. meanwhile, the museum is scheduled to reopen with an alexander calder exhibition in august 2021. the renovation, meticulously carried out by david chipperfield architects, saw 1,600 square meters (17,200 square feet) of new glass installed to the upper exhibition hall alone. meanwhile, 500 weld seams have been repaired on mies van der rohe’s landmark steel structure.

image © BBR / thomas bruns

elsewhere, 800 existing ceiling lights are now supplemented with LEDs, while the 2,500 square meters (26,700 square feet) of granite flooring has been reinstalled throughout the building. the museum’s original planting has been restored on the terrace and in the sculpture garden, with the surrounding urban environment, including the sidewalks, also upgraded. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here, and see more projects by david chipperfield architects on our dedicated page.

image © BBR / thomas bruns

image © BBR / thomas bruns

image © BBR / thomas bruns

image © BBR / thomas bruns

image © BBR / thomas bruns

project info:

name: neue nationalgalerie refurbishment
location: berlin, germany
project start: 2012
completion: 2020
opening: 2021
gross floor area: 13,900 sqm / 149,618 sqf
client: stiftung preußischer kulturbesitz represented by the bundesamt für bauwesen und raumordnung
user: staatliche museen zu berlin
architect: david chipperfield architects berlin