Kunsthaus Z�rich Extension
The Z�rcher Kunstgesellschaft, the Stiftung Z�rcher Kunsthaus and the
City of Zurich announce an international architectural competition for
the Kunsthaus extension. Architects are invited to apply for the
pre-qualification round as of today. Design work will begin in April,
and the winning submission is to be chosen by the end of 2008.
The extension will provide the Kunsthaus Z�rich with a showcase for
new offerings. As such, it must meet four key requirements. First, it
must house new galleries with re-configurable suites of rooms that are
flexible in function and appropriate for the display of new media,
prints, drawings and photography. Second, it must also contain more
classically designed galleries for the B�hrle Collection, the basis
of the museums new focus on French painting, as well as
accommodating examples of 19th-century art and classical modernism.
Third, it must provide the setting for medium-sized exhibitions,
staged without affecting the permanent collection. Fourth, the foyer
must allow visitors to engage in a direct encounter with art as soon
as they enter the building, while at the same time symbolising the
museums greater and more welcoming openness.
The project, of signal importance to Zurichs urban planning in this
area, will be located between Heimplatz and the old Cantonal School,
both immediately adjacient to Zurichs old town. The project is part
of Zurichs University District master plan, which aims to create an
appealing education and culture zone . Its starting point, the
square known as Heimplatz, will in the process be better defined and
upgraded. A public art garden forms an additional element of the
competition brief; from there, a series of park-like areas will
evolve along the edge of the slope below the ETH (Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology, Zurich).
Part of the new facility, as well as the connection between the
extension and the existing building will be underground. Together,
the two buildings will constitute one museum: the New Kunsthaus.
The pre-selection, which begins today as announced in architectural
journals and relevant online portals, is open to all architects with
a dossier of completed work and evidence of both professional and
organisational capability. The application deadline is 1 February
2008; relevant documents and an updated list of jury members can be
found at www.stadt-zuerich.ch/hochbau[/url] .
>From what is likely to be a large number of applicants, the
international jury (presided over by Walter B. Kielholz, President of
the Z�rcher Kunstgesellschaft, and moderated by Prof. Carl Fingerhuth)
will select 20 suitable teams to take part in the anonymous
competition.
Provided that Zurichs city legislature approves the project loan of
CHF 6.5 million requested, the applicants selected will receive
complete documentation in April 2008 and begin work on their
projects.
The jury will evaluate the resulting submissions and choose a winner
during the fourth quarter of 2008. If necessary, several designs may
be selected for a second round of anonymously submitted revisions, to
take place in the first half of 2009.
http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/internet/hbd/home/ausschreiben/wettbewerbe_architektur/aktuell/kunsthaus.html