Kunsthalle Rostock (Rostock Art Hall) by buttler architekten and matrix architektur

Kunsthalle Rostock (Rostock Art Hall) – restoration in accordance with historic preservation principles of the Kunsthalle Rostock with the extension of a publicly accessible art depot

The Kunsthalle Rostock is the only art museum constructed during the GDR era that houses an existing collection. This makes it one of the most important architectural monuments of GDR modernism. The ensemble, completed by our architectural firm, forms a temporal and spatial bracket: In order to present the large collection to the public, the Kunsthalle, built in 1969, was generally renovated and expanded with the construction of a new, publicly accessible art depot.

While the original building, as a single monument, develops its exhibition space architecturally introverted in a cast stone clinker cube over several levels and climate zones as a flowing space, the theme of the art depot is the experience of art in urban space under high climatic and security requirements. Minimalism, restraint, and complexity characterize not only the Scandinavian-inspired original building but also the extension. A consistent dematerialization of the interior and building envelope gives the mystery of art a special space, both inside and outside. The Kunsthalle won recognition at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Building, the BDA M-V, and the Rostock Architecture Award.