1347 MAy 2009 £9/ €17/ $25 WWW.J\RPLU••COM Fuksas' church in earthquake-hit central Italy Cultural centre in Dublin by O'Donnell + Tuomey Alan Balfour onthe Neues Museum in Berlin VIEW/ Pritzker Prize-winner Peter Zumthor/ NAl .A69 Gaza, Israel and urbanism / Kyoto ofthe Cities I Lu stgarten has been cleared of all its pleasUI'L' gardens and pnvilions, the great moated bastions removed and the land regained from the river, ordered and planned. This was the situation in 1798 when architect David Gilly was asked by the king, Friedrich Wilhelm Ill, to landscape THE REBIRTH OF THE NEUES MUSEUM IS THE the area immediately north ofthe palace. Though a gifted architect, he LATEST STAGE IN THE ARCHITECTURAL AND bowed to the modest taste of the king POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF THE SPREEINSEL, and simply proposed transforming the parade ground into a field ofgrass BERLIN'S HISTORIC MUSEUM ISLAND Ranked by a double row of trees, as shown in a 181lJ Schinkel drawing. WRITER Such modesty reflects an anxiety ALAN BALFOUR over events playing Oll t across France in the .lftermnth of the revolution, and uncertainty over Napoleon's ----- - Berlin's Neues museums, the Stadtschloss was growing ambition. This insignificant Museum, by Pru ~s ian architect damaged during the war and then landscape is in extreme contrast to Friedrich August Sti.iler, opened to totally demolished by the East the project his son Friedrich (,illy the public in laSS. Aftt'r the Second German government. It was on the proposed the prelriolls year for a 'Norld War, it was left in ruins nnd sat land north of the palace that the monllment to vVilhelm\ grandfather, roo Aess for over 50 years. Renova tion rulers of Prussia began to exert a Friedrich the Great. The yOllng Gilly plans began with a competition in temporal order on the landscape. conceived of a perfectly formed 1994, which required adding more In the 17th century, this became Greci:m temple in white marhle to be space and diminishing the presence the site of the Lustgarten (literally, placed :It a critical entry into Berlin, of the historic structure. After a garden of desire), a name that has rais ed up and visible to all, deifying disagreement over the choice of stayed with the space, and the the hero king. Whether this refl ected architect, this was abandoned, and surprising results are displayed with a genuine p'lssion for Friedrich the in a suhsequent contest, David some realism in a plan of 1648 by Great's achievements or was merely ChippC:'rfield Architects' .Iohan Gregor Mamhard. Beyond a the romance of fresh inl<lgination resubmission (a simplified version parterre garden and over a bridge, to the idea of the ancient gods, the of his original entry) was successful. two island gardens are shown in the comp"tition drawings had a force The rebirth of the Nelles Museum waters of the Spree: the first, a simple that deeply impressed the person completes the restoration of the suite rectangular field (where the Neues whose imagination would Jll ost shape of museums that evolved nt the Museum now stands); the second, the futur ~' of the Lustgarten: Karl northern end of the Spreeinscl :111 elaborate circle of segmented Friedrich Sc hinkel. (k nown as Museum Island) in the 19th islands. The geometric order of the These drawings persuaded century. The first national museum, 17th-century parterre is in total Schinkel to transform himself from now the Altes Museum, opened in contrast to the surrounding walled a painter of grand topographic views 1830; the Old National Gallery, also city: an introverted, God-centered into an architect. He becamc close by Stiiler, was completed in 1876; the community that constrained all to Gilly and his son, and cventually Bode Museum, nt the tip of the island, medieval reality. In an aerial view emerged as Prussia's formative in 1904; and the mighty Pergamon of 16H!:l by Johun Bernhard Schulz, architect. His practice and writings Museum was completed in 1930. the Stadtschloss dominates the laid thl:! basis for an architecture Spreeinsel is a wedge of land at the ce ntre, facing the Lustgarten to the defined more by programme and heart of Berlin, divided by the Spree left. The island gardens nre gone, technology th.1I1 by historical styles, River. Historically, it enclosed the replaced by an orangery behind a and for some, this was the precursor district of Colin, the southern of two baroque curved fa cade, and there is a of the modern. The yO llng Gilly died districts that formed Berlin. This was strengthe ned bastion in the enclosing in IHOH, but Schinkel would have the nexus of the medieval city, and city wall. experi enced his prescience. He would at its core was a royal castle, later In the .IF Schneider plan of 1802, have seen the pages of Friedrich's replaced by n palace, the Stndtschloss. the Stadtschloss is the rectangular 'thought dl'llwings', where he A key clement in the formation of the fi gure enclosing two courtyards. The explored an architecture stripped __ Thl! Neues Museum tgarten has been cleared of all it~ 'atl' lun Mapof In 1855 from the rlvar o~ure g-ardens and pavilions, the Bertin and Colin Bc!ow~' The orIginal t lT10ated bastions removed and by Johan Gregor Eg~lan Courtyard land regained from the river, Mamhard. 1648, In 1862. repository ('red and planned, This was the showing the early for the extensiva arion inl79R when architect development of the spoils from German Spreelnse~ AerIal excavatJolls In rid Gilly was asked by the king, vIew of t Egypt. Thoug" ~ drich Wilhelm III, to landscape Stadtscliloss and largely destroyed area immediately north of the Lustgarten by durillg tha Wal. It lce. Though n gifted architect, he Johann Barnha rd exampllfies StOlar's led to the modest taste of the king Schulz. 1688; 1he Idaa of evoking Neues Museum In ancient worlds simply proposed transforming the 19th century. through 1heatrlcal parade ground into a field of grass showing Stlilel's Interior design ked by a double row of trees, as original staircase 8otl~~ Draw!ng by I",n in a lRl9 Schinkel drawing. hall. replete With Schinkol from 1B34 Such modesty reflects an anxiety friezes, monumental of warehouses on the slla of the Mura " events playing out across France statues and a caryatid porch; Neues Museum le aftermath of the revolution, uncertainty over Napoleon's ving ambition. Thjs insignificant Iscape is in extreme contrast to project his son Friedrich Gilly losed the previous year for a ul11ent to Wilhelm's grandfather, drich the Great. The young Gilly :eived of a perfectly formed :ian temple in white marble to be ed at ,1 critical entry into Berlin, ·d up and visible to all, deifying lern king. Whether this reflected wine passion for Friedrich the t's achievements or was m~~ rely nmam:e of fresh imagination e idea of the ancient gods, the )etjtion drawings had a force :keply impressed the person ie imagination would most shape Jture of the Lustgarten: Karl Irich Schinkel. hese drawings persuaded lkel to transform himself from 1ter of gmnd topographic views III architect- He became close ~ Iy and his son, and eventually g'ed as Prussia's formative teet. His practice and writing~ e basis for an architecture cd more by progr:Jlnmc and (llngy than by historical styles, lr some, this was the precursor modern. The young Gilly died is, but Schinkel would have ienced his prescience. lie would ;(;e11 the pages of Friedrich's ;ht drawings', where he red an architecture stripped _ THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW / MAY 2009 / "'STOR\, 089 NEllES i"'USrUM DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS The of decoration, free from the styles Lustgarten 0 CHIPPERFIELD'S IRENOVATION staircase haUln of history, reduced to abstract space Schinkel's m 1943. following and structure. In Berlin: Th e Politics museum wn: AWed bombing raids IS SUPERB, AND ITS STRENGTH ofOrder (Rizzoli, 1990), 1 wrote: moat that ha on BerUn , Sadl~, the the island, a COMES liN PART FROM THE museum was to 'Desire for fundamental change had remain In a damaged led [Friedrich] Gilly to reject the for the consl BRILUANT IMAGIN'ATIONS THAT and overgrown slate texts of history, to det::Jch the idea of and upgradi tor half a century, space from that of God, and to wharves to ( the cast of repair too PRECEDED HIM IN CONTEMPLATING reconnect the idea of beauty to that trade in the daunting for the East Schinkel ass German au horltles. of id en l order. With reverberations of THE REALITY OF BERLIN Plans tor repolr the French and American revolutions eminence tc; wero even ually growing ever stronger throughout court was rE formulated in 1993, Europe and cries for freedom and The des following German equality heard on nil fronts, it must IH22 and thl reunificatiDn , the royal uri Chlpperfleld's have been inevitnble that Gilly would the public it restoration alms to see in such conceptions II direct convey esense of connection between the act of freeing­ were anum the bUilding's rich architecture frol11 the bonds of history throughout ~8t diftlcul history and the cause of political freedom. British Mus f The Liberation from the structures of the in 175 9.) Th Roman Room In in the manr 1939.Slater's recollected histories of autocracies original decor could mean liberation from colonnade ( boasted emerald constraining social order.' Though of the soutr green VI lis, stucco Friedrich Gilly had no direct the three si mOUlded celUngs influence on the plans leading to a enfilade rOt Bnd wall paintings a full hemi~ tleplctlng suitably century of museum building, there is uplifting scenes an echo of his imagination, at its most In detail it I from ancIent Rome intense, in Chipperfield 's renovation now only p and Pompeii of the Neues Museum.