Introduction
Nowadays modern museums have really distinctive and individualized designs compared to more traditional museums. This is because modern museums want to reflect what they are exhibiting, at the same time they are more interactive and informative.
Moreover the role of museums in societies has changed over time. In the past, museums are more for academics and researchers. However nowadays, museums have become a place where everyone in the world can come and study such information.
This dissertation will introduce how architects and interior designers remodel and extent the original museums into a significant and culturally influential space.
It will also examine how the new spaces interact with the original and how the architects and interior designers create a better museum space whilst keeping the original design intact.
1 The dissertation will be divided into three sections; the first part will be about the history and background of the museums. This first section will also include the various flaws and negative aspect of the original design of the museums.
2 The second section will focus on how the architects- Daniel Libeskind and Norman Foster remodeled and redesign the museums. I will discuss the process of redesigning the museums and discuss about the present day design of the museums. How the old historic buildings interact with new installation?
This chapter will analyze and explain how the structures of the interior and exterior have been considered- lighting, layout of the museum, material usage and shape of the new design.
Further development will be considering the techniques skills that has been used to extend and remodel the museums. Second, the impact between the old and new will be discussed in the paragraph as well.
3 The third section will be discussed the theories and strategies used in the extension of the Jewish museum and the British Museum that have been mentioned previously.
4 The fourth section will be explain nowadays how do the museums educate or represent their own country or culture by various ways to continue to promote history and the preservation of cultural values.
Due to the ever expanding collections; accessibility has become more indispensable for many museums. Thus museums are constantly undergoing remodeling and changing.
1
The History and background of the British museum
Norman Foster built the great Court in the British Museum (Fig.1) in 2000. Norman Foster transformed the British Museum by combing his predecessor’s vision together, by allowing both courtyard and reading room to coexist (Prestel, 2001). Since the collection kept increasing from all over the world, therefore is can be more freely accessible to the people of the whole world (Smith and Mcgregor 2007:15). Moreover, the doom was designed the museum in many “greener’’ ways. For example, it allows more sufficient light to come in during daytime, thus saving energy. The enclosed volume also forms a climate buffer; acting like a green house, hence provides energy savings (Foster2001: 49).
History and background of the Jewish museum
The original Collegienhaus Jewish Museum is an old Baroque building. It was built in 1735 and first served as the Court of Justice. It represents the last example of Baroque buildings commissioned by nobility in historic Friedrichstadt, designed by Philip Gerlach (Berlin n.d.). The courthouse changed its use into the first Jewish Museum in Berlin in 1933 on Oranienburger Strasse however it was closed by the Gestapo in 1938.
The various flaws and negative aspect of the British museum.
Before the great court was built, people were forced to use the galleries as circulation routes, resulting in a confusing and frustrating experience for the visitor. This is due to the fact that the British Museum lacked a centralized circulation route that allows visitors to have a reference point. The great court has increased public space in the museum by 40%, this allow visitors to move around freely and conveniently. *(More information from Norman Foster video)
The various flaws and negative aspect of the Jewish museum.
Before the new part of Jewish museum (Fig.2) was built, the museum is only an unremarkable Baroque style old building (Berlin n.d.). The old museum does not have any symbol, features or decoration that represents or reflect the purpose of the museum. The new Jewish Museum has been designed in a new zigzag shape with new installation and extension. The extension illustrated how the new parts of the building help enhance the function of the building, such as the form of light to display the artwork and the arrangement of the interior.
Fig. 1: FONG, Michelle. 2012. British Museum.
Fig. 2: MICHELE, Nastesi. ca. 2001. No title.
Fig. 3: anon.2010. No title.
2
The process of redesigning Jewish museums and the present day of the museums.
The newly built Jewish Museum is one of the largest Jewish museums in Europe. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind. In 1989, a competition for an extension of the new building for Jewish Museum was held. The building was then completed in 1999 and opened in 2001(Schneider.199: 19). This building is in a striking zigzag shape which shows the 20th century art deco modernism style inspired by machines (Cragoe.2008:46).
The process of redesigning British museums and the present day of the museums.
The British Museum Great Court by Norman Foster was built in 2000. Norman Foster transformed the British Museum by combing his predecessor’s vision together, by allowing both courtyard and reading room to coexist (Foster. 2001: 57). The dome would make the museum “greener” in many methods (Fig.1).
It allows sufficient light to come in during daytime, thus saving energy. The enclosed volume also forms a climate buffer; acting like a greenhouse, hence provides energy savings (Foster.2001: 49). The great court has boosted public space in the museum by 40% allowing tourists to move around more conveniently.
How the old historic buildings interact with new installation?
British Museum
The new built great court doom in the British Museum incorporated urban features like climate control and being environmental friendly (Foster.2001: 49). Moreover, the Great Court gave a focus to the museum; it is the hub of the building. Furthermore, the natural light and the white stones in the building give out a sense of peace and serenity. It allows people to relax and fully enjoy their experience in the museum. The great court brings out the nature of the museum; it is ever changing, ever evolving, constantly adding collection but at the same time keeping the original pieces intact. In a broader sense, the Great Court and the British Museum also reflected the nature of Britain. The museum houses many relics from all around the world, just like how multicultural The UK is.
Jewish Museum
The glass courtyard in the Jewish Museum was built in 2001 because the museum required a lobby and restaurant, as well as a fully new, multifunctional hall for lectures, concerts, educational programs, and social occasions. The courtyard of the old Baroque building was chosen to be part of the interaction and extension between the original historic façade and the zinc- clad extension (Wolf et al. 2008: 101).
The old Jewish Museum introduces the visitors to the newly built courtyard. There is an underground path that joins both the old and new museum. The new museum does not have an official entrance, thus visitors have to enter and experience the old part before transitioning into the new building. The stairs and spaces of the newly built museum allowed visitors to experience the Jewish Holocaust just from its forms and functions. It shows how interactive the interior is, as well as how forward thinking and useful it is for people to experience the Jewish culture in Germany.
3 Theories and strategies used in the extension of the Jewish museum and the British Museum
One of the challenges Norman Foster faced was the huge irregular gap between the courtyard facades and the drum of the reading room. In order to cover this gap, he designed the glass canopy that has such a unique geometry shape. Moreover the canopy was unobtrusive and doesn’t require any additional columns within the courtyard. (Design – foster and partners roof the great court – 2001.0214 n.d.) The theories Norman Foster used to extent the British Museum were revising old spaces, creating new spaces and revealing hidden spaces (Sudjic 2000).
Jewish Museum
The newly built Jewish Museum is one of the biggest Jewish museums in Europe. The building was completed in 1999 and opened in 2001 (SCNEIDER. 1999:19). This building is in a striking zigzag form (figure.1), which shows the 20th century art deco modernism style inspired by machines (CRAGOE. 2008:46).
There are a lot of metaphors in Daniel Libeskind’s design. The zigzag shape of the building was the hardest shape to build but it was meant to echo the tough life of Jews throughout history.
Another metaphor Libeskind used was the voids. The voids are empty spaces about 20 m tall that slice linearly over the entire building. Daniel Libeskind explained that it represents “That which can never be exhibited when it comes to Jewish Berlin history: Humanity reduced to ashes.”(Daniel Libeskind, 2000). He means that those voids could be filled with many other exhibits, if the Jews weren’t exterminated. This is to bring out how inhuman, destructive and traumatic the holocaust is to the Jewish people in Berlin. This is particularly appropriate in Berlin as the history of Berlin is closely tight together with the history of the Jewish community. Jewish people were finally able enter Berlin again after nearly 100 years when Friedrich Wilhelm, ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, whom on 21st May 1671, commanded 50 wealthy and powerful Jewish families to settle in Berlin (Berlin – centre of Jewish life n.d.). Thus Berlin is home to the some of the most important Jewish communities in Germany while at the same time being the place where the Nazi party planned the Holocaust (Berlin n.d.).
Since Daniel Libeskind’s parents are Holocaust survivors, and lost most of his family members in Poland (BENTON. 1997). Therefore, he purposefully designed this building to disclose the Jewish dimension of Berlin’s history to the citizens.
4 How do the museums educate or represent their own country or culture by various ways to continue to promote history and the preservation of cultural values.
British Museum
Norman foster designed several education facilities for the Great Court and on top of that an education centre was built too. The centre is called the Clore Education Centre and it is situated at the lower level of the Great Court. The centre consists of various facilities like lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and art studios. Moreover he designed spaces for the Ford Centre for Young Visitors and the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre.
These newly built education facilities greatly expanded the British Museum’s role in education. There are daily lectures, film and video screening held in the various theatres and seminar rooms. Moreover, conferences, concerts and other performances related to cultural festivals or special exhibitions (Great court 2015).
Note: (The museum houses many relics and items from all the world, just like how The UK is home to many nationalities. The museum organizes countless temporary exhibitions, but the British sections will always be permanent. This shows how even with the constant changes going on here, the British culture will always be the same.)
Jewish Museum
During the past, the Jews from various parts of Germany were constantly being exiled and treated poorly. However, the Jews continued to live in Germany and contribute to Germany’s growth and rise to power. Hence, Daniel Libeskind wanted to show this to the people, as it is impossible to fully understand the history of Berlin.
Without understanding the enormous intellectual, economic and cultural contribution made by the Jewish People of Berlin. Secondly, the museum wants to allow people to fully experience what it feels like being a Jew in Germany, spiritually and physically. As the son of Holocaust survivors, he considers architecture to be one of the strongest and most affirmative sign of hope, a lasting will to the shared Jewish beliefs and values that can be carried on through generations. Libeskind’s approach reflects a passionate belief and investment in the future, in new ideas and human creativity (Wolf, C. 2008. 36-37).