A broad industrial landscape of warehouses, sheds, and partial wasteland stretches north of the Museum für Gegenwart in the Hamburger Bahnhof. This is where the Rieck warehouses are located, which have been home to the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection since their conversion.
The museum extension is connected to the Hamburger Bahnhof by a bridge with a double bend, which is designed as a spatial element of the exhibition route. The enclosed bridge opens onto the surrounding industrial landscape through two large windows at the points where the bridge turns, creating a direct connection to the site.
The outer edges of the loading ramps of the former warehouse are closed off with metal sheet cladding and at both ends by the original brickwork. This encasement creates new interior space, which runs alongside the exhibition rooms as a 250-metre long corridor. It serves as both an exhibition and access space and affords views of the surrounding industrial landscape at regular intervals. The eight halls along the upper floor and basement are connected to form a coherent route through the building.
The technical infrastructure and ventilation system are integrated invisibly into the new roof construction. The lighting concept is an ingenious combination of daylight and artificial light: the full spectrum of possibilities is encompassed – with daylight from above, inclined symmetrical and asymmetrical light from the sides as well as full artificial lighting – for every situation, from white cube to black box.
