Groninger Museum - The East Pavilion

Coop Himmelb(l)au was commissioned to design a pavilion for the new Groninger Museum. The museum was to house works of art from the 16th century onward as well as contemporary art and design. The overall design was by Alessandro and Francesco Mendini (Milan); there are two other wings, by Philippe Starck (Paris) and Michele de Lucchi (Milan), respectively. The concept is based on the idea of developing “positive and negative space” and “Liquid Architecture” represented by a small particle that floats in space freely, constantly transforming itself. This concept makes it possible to experience art on various levels and from different points of view, since both the inner skin of the flexible exhibition system and the variable circulation levels offer various perspectives on the art objects. The design process began by superimposing the original drawing of the proposal for the pavilion and three-dimensional volume studies of spaces for artificial and natural light. This process of superimposition led to a working model that used the energy of the first emotional impression—or, in other words, the “psychograph of the concept”—to dissolve the space. Over the course of the project, the liveliness of this working model with all of its mistakes and inexactitudes was captured digitally and its sculptural details translated into the scale of the real building.