Archaeological Center

In the vicinity of Berlin's Museum Island, an archaeological center has emerged, reminiscent of ancient temples with its stark shapes. After all, it is also intended to serve the needs of the museum of prehistory and early history. The author is the Stuttgart studio Harris+Kurrle, which won the architectural competition in 2007 with its design. The overall urban planning solution for the southwestern complex (nicknamed Museum Courtyards) under Museum Island stems from another competition, in which a different Stuttgart office, Auer+Weber, won in 2005.
The new archaeological center consists of a curved two-level structure that encloses the area of the former barracks and defines the northern facade of the future square (the western facade is formed by the Central Library of Humboldt University by Max Dudler, the south is represented by an elevated train, and the eastern structure is still awaited). The new center is connected underground with the surrounding historical buildings. The imposing mass of exposed brick opens up to the square with a spacious glass entrance area. The rest of the openings are limited to narrow slits. In addition to workspaces and storage, the building also houses the new central library of the archaeological collections of the State Museums in Berlin. In the front five-story section, there are study collections, an archive, and a library, while the adjoining lower section contains workshops, laboratories, and offices. Both parts are connected in a spacious foyer, which is also used for exhibitions.