Zurich: New building of the National Museum opened
The new building of the National Museum Zurich was ceremoniously opened on the weekend of August 1. This marks the completion of a major project after around 15 years of planning and realization. The new building was designed by architects Christ & Gantenbein, who also designed the extension to the Kunstmuseum Basel.
The new building provides the Museum of Cultural History in Zurich with versatile exhibition halls and a modern infrastructure. With its 80 cm thick walls, the new building is one of the first Swiss museums to meet the Minergie-P-Eco standard. In addition to the new exhibition rooms, the National Museum now also has a study center, a library and catering facilities with a total of 300 indoor and outdoor seats. The public sector and various foundations have invested a total of CHF 111 million in the project.
The new building by Christ & Gantenbein forms an ensemble with the old building by Gustav Gull: The façade of the new building echoes the tuff stone of the old building's façade, and the polished concrete floors in the new building are a contemporary interpretation of the terrazzo flooring in the old building. The joining of the two buildings creates an inner courtyard that opens up to the park via the bridge of the new building. (ah)
