Mannheim Museum New Wing - City within a City

After two and a half years of construction, the new Mannheim Art Gallery was delivered on December 18, 2017. gmp von Gerkan, Marg and Partners has successfully designed numerous cultural buildings internationally, including the National Museum of China in Beijing and the City Museum in Hanoi. The new Mannheim Art Gallery is one of Germany's largest museums and integrates into its surroundings through a striking appearance. The new museum building at Friedrichsplatz links to the existing Art Nouveau structure known as the Billing Building and has been designed as a city within a city. Within a simple overall structure, individual cubes are arranged in an inspiring composition to provide exhibition space and rooms for supporting functions. They enclose a central atrium and are connected via galleries, terraces, and bridges. Analogous to the elements that make up urban environments, buildings, blocks, streets, and squares, different circulation routes create varying vistas and perspectives through enclosed and open spaces for visitors. The new gallery rises above Friedrichsplatz and connects to portions of the historic Art Nouveau building designed by Hermann Billing. The design evolved from the concept of a city within a city: within a concise overall mass, individual exhibition and ancillary spaces are interwoven, producing a highly charged spatial scale. The individual spaces are arranged around a central light court, connected by galleries, platforms, and aerial bridges. This recalls the way cities organize themselves, making the museum experience feel like a stroll through a carefully composed urban district rather than a conventional gallery visit.