The team of von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Archi­tects (gmp) has won an open two-stage competition for the refurbishment and extension of the plaster casting facility of the Berlin State Museums in Berlin, Germany. 

gmp's winning design scheme has been conceived to meet listed-building standards. The plaster casting facility of the Berlin State Museums is the largest facility of this kind in the world, as gmp explains. 

According to the firm, high-quality replicas of pieces of art from museum collections in Berlin and Europe have been produced here for over 200 years. 

This means that the plaster casting facility will not only be "a production facility but also will boast a large collection of historic molds and master models of art and cultural objects from all time periods and geographic regions."

Due to the current lack of space and the poor condition of the existing building, gmp will now fully refurbish and expand the existing building with a new extension. 

With this refurbishment and extension, the building will be grown from the current area of about 5,000 square meters to a total of about 13,000 square meters.  

Since the competition brief called using sustainable and resource-efficient construction techniques, gmp has decided to implement a low-tech strategy and prioritized robust, low-maintenance solutions over more high-tech technologies.

The new extension building is connected to the existing facility located on the north of the site. 

"In terms of urban design, this arrangement provides a convincing solution as the new building resembles the existing facility in its overall volume and – with its L-shaped layout – also blocks off the site towards the west and the urban freeway," said gmp.

"In this way, the neighboring residential buildings become part of the newly created urban inner courtyard, and an effective acoustic screening is achieved that blocks noise from the urban freeway and the railway track," the firm added. 

Following the planned low-tech strategy, the layout of functions within the building makes ideal use of the different climate and acoustic zones created.

The new building will be built from a combination of monolithic insulating concrete walls with a floor/ceiling construction. According to gmp, "this is a modern and economic interpretation of the vault ceilings of the existing building." 

The team provides natural background ventilation without mechanical boosters, using ground heat exchangers and solar chimneys on the roof, thus optimally reducing the energy requirement. 

Mechanical devices to boost natural air exchange are only used in specific areas in line with special requirements. 

In reference to the core activities of the plaster casting facility, gmp will use ultra-lightweight concrete panels on the facade, while the panels are molded and cured material to create a new building sculpture.

gmp completed Chinese Traditional Culture Museum in Beijing, China and completed the new Stade de Luxembourg football and rugby stadium in the south of the city of Luxembourg. 

All images © gmp Architects.

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