Museum of Applied Arts

After winning the competition, the American god of neofunctionalism was awarded a contract by the Frankfurt Museum of Applied Arts. The museum is located in the museum district on Schaumankai, among others, neighboring the Museum of Architecture and the Museum of German Postal Services. The greatest asset that led to the victory in the competition is Meier's integration of new buildings into the existing structure on the site. The original villa has become a natural part of the entire complex and plays an important role in the building's concept. The complex consists of four buildings (one of which is the original eclectic villa) that create a counterpoint to the largest structure of the museum complex. The large public garden features a number of sculptures and resting places, which we evaluated as positive, and the vegetation on the walls and terraces of the museum almost approached the ecological ideal of the 1980s.
The architecture itself exhibits all the signs of Meier's neostyle, with a consistent modular order most evident in the exterior cladding determining all components of the work. The concept of four mutually permeating masses is clearly visible from the setting, although the almost deconstructivist situation is ultimately smoothed into Meier's conventional guise.