Extension to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne

The extension, designed by the Swiss architectural practice Christ & Gantenbein, is being built in Cologne’s Old Town and will be linked to the museum’s existing building via an underground passageway. This will create approximately 5,500 square metres of gross floor area for the museum, as well as approximately 900 square metres of high-quality municipal administrative space, which will be housed in the new block development to be constructed.

Among the project’s highlights is the southern corner of the building, which is supported by a massive steel support girder due to the underground metro tunnels running beneath it. The structure is supported by cantilevers extending over a Roman city wall and an ancient culvert, ensuring that these historical artefacts remain virtually intact beneath the ground.

Inside, concrete ceilings with clear spans of up to 11 metres impress with their exceptional design quality; they have been realised using a sophisticated composite system of precast and in-situ concrete, with concealed, integrated building services. The façade echoes the city’s archaeological layers with an intricately relief-carved brick structure combined with a lettering plinth made of pigmented exposed concrete.

The underground passageway beneath Martinstraße connects the new extension with the existing building – a masterpiece of modern architectural culture in the heart of Cologne’s old town.

Among other things, the works are intended to create the ideal setting for the Corboud Collection. The Swiss Gerhard J. Corboud and his wife Marisol, a native of Cologne, lived in Cologne for many years. In 2001, they donated a collection of 170 paintings to the City of Cologne ‘on permanent loan’ for the benefit of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, thereby entrusting it to the care of the City of Cologne.

The project is aiming for ‘Sustainable Construction Site’ DGNB certification from the German Sustainable Building Council.

Certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)

In this project, Ed. Züblin AG aims, amongst other things, to use resources efficiently, reduce emissions and ensure health and safety on the building site. In addition, measures are being implemented to take account of the interests of local residents and the neighbourhood. The construction site has been certified in accordance with the DGNB ‘Sustainable Construction Site’ standard.

Further information on the DGNB system for sustainable construction sites can be found here: https://www.dgnb-system.de/de/gebaeude/baustelle/