MUSEUM FOR MINING INDUSTRY BOCHUM

The German Museum for Mining Industry in the city of Bochum is planning an annex to its old building, originating from the 1930s, which can be used for special exhibitions. The design-proposal consists of a solitary building, which develops from the old structure of the museum in the south, in order to form a contrast to the rigid, symmetrical, monumental architecture and to create a new open architecture which is adjusted to the building site and the functional programme. The annex intends one unit with a smooth metal surface, clear edges and an undefined geometry. It dominates the urban surrounding with its volume and defends its status as a public building. Transparency to the public space (eastern facade) is important: Ways and lounges are creating a kind of covered street. There are no common measures, no crossings which are traditionally leading from the outside to the inside. The entry is without barriers, one just strolls into the entry hall, which actually appears as an extension of the public space.