Monumental Entrance
On Berlin’s Museum Island, David Chipperfield’s James Simon Gallery opened in 2018, a multifunctional building that serves as an urban balcony with impressive views towards the Lustgarten and the new City Palace and as an entrance. At present, the Pergamon Museum can be reached via the gallery; in future, it will serve as the entrance to the “Archaeological Promenade”, which will then connect all museums – except the Old National Gallery – underground. The building houses a book and museum shop, a terrace restaurant, an auditorium and an exhibition space.
Multifunctional building with portico
Like a classical museum, the building stands on a podium and is accessible via a monumental flight of steps. It thus fits into the series of historicised buildings on the Museum Island. The temple analogy is also emphasised by the colonnades, which are stylistically based on the Doric colonnade by Friedrich August Stüler that connects the Neues Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie. Their super-slim, elegant precast concrete columns are sandblasted by hand and stretch up to nine metres in the air.
Authentic materials, wide visual axes
The interior of the building, which extends over three floors, impresses with noble materials such as patinated bronze, Thassos marble panels and French walnut wood against a background of plain exposed concrete walls. The glass facades are held up by glass swords, and in the auditorium an elegant walnut ceiling hovers over the visitors. Generous room corridors create an expansive spatial experience, and the chic shell-limestone floor is protected by entrance mats from emco.
protected from dirt and damage by entrance mats from emco.
Colour, form and function in harmony
The building is reached on different levels and the gallery is entered literally via abrasion-resistant entrance mats of the types emcoMARSCHALL, of which approx. 75 m² with substructure, and emcoPLAZA, framed by colour-coordinated anodised profiles. They effortlessly withstand even extreme loads, which makes them predestined for highly frequented buildings such as the prestigious structure in the heart of Berlin. Entrance mats from emco were installed not only in the entrance areas, but also inside the building, contributing to cleanliness and an inviting ambience. The dimensionally stable, TÜV-tested inserts are available for three profile heights, two profile widths and can be optionally combined with additional profiles.
Sustainability included
In addition to cleanliness, emco products also contribute to sustainability: Their installation reduces the consumption of cleaning agents, as less dirt is carried into the building. The grey repp inserts with anodised aluminium profiles emphasise the elegant appearance of the architectural showpiece and blend in perfectly with the architectural surroundings. To ensure that this remains the case in the long term, individual repp strips can be easily replaced if required.
