The results of the competition to design the addition to the Gipsformerei are being presented in the Kulturforum’s central entrance hall and its special exhibition space.

The first prize in the competition to plan a comprehensive refurbishment and extension of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin’s Gipsformerei (Replica Workshop), with a special focus on sustainability and functionality, has been awarded to the architectural firm of Gerkan, Marg and Partner (gmp). The second prize was granted to the Berlin office of Felgendreher Olfs Köchling Architekten. Two third prizes were presented, one to Backes Zarali Architekten, of Basel, Switzerland, and the other to Henchion Reuter Architekten of Berlin. Commendations were accorded TRU Architekten from Berlin and Bez + Kock Architekten from Stuttgart. During the two-phase planning competition, 16 proposals from a total of 50 submissions were selected for the second phase.

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin’s Gipsformerei has been situated in a purpose-built facility at Sophie-Charlotten-Strasse 17/18 in Charlottenburg since the late 19th century. The building houses, among other things, the moulding workshop, painting studios, and storage facilities for the collection of historical moulds and casts. Given the spatial limitiations of the historical building and its current state of repair, the decision was made to undertake a comprehensive refurbishment of the existing structure, while also expanding its gross floor space – currently comprising roughly 5,000 square metres – to a total of approximately 13,000 square metres, by erecting a new building on the property. Over the next few years, the existing premises of the Gipsformerei will be extensively refurbished and expanded with the new building. The pioneering new manufacturing and storage building is also intended to increase public awareness of the Gipsformerei.

The expansion is also designed to take into account the Gipsformerei’s recent evolution and its future potential: in the last years, it has specialised in producing high-quality, large-scale, and intricate reproductions, for which a new assembly facility is now required. The resulting building will also provide the Gipsformerei with its first conservation and restoration workshops, which will enable it to implement best practices in conservation and restoration when handling the unique historical items in the collection.