ACADEMY OF ARTS, MUNSTER

Placing the Münster Kunstakademie (Academy of Art) and the Architectural School of the University in the grounds of a former Prussian cuirassier regiment barracks built a hundred years ago might awaken fears of excessive drill and historic discipline. However today the barracks yard derives its life from the change of function and from the extensions with their different, light quality that contrasts with the severity of a complex which is completely symmetrical apart from a gap. It seems to be the case that the present can be better articulated in the interplay between the centuries than without an antagonist: Günther Domenig used the room for manoeuvre offered by the existing listed buildings to create a development that presents a contrast in both urban and architectural terms. His design takes up the idea of symmetry but swivels it through 90 degrees in response to the future development axis of the "culture campus" with art academy and university. This accentuation of the dominant basic theme was, in addition to the dynamic, sculptural quality one expects from Domenig, the major strength of his design, which could be realised only after a number of reworkings due to the limited budget.