The International Evaluation Committee has unanimously selected David Chipperfield Architects Berlin’s design for the extension of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens from a shortlist of ten following an international competition. The proposal, which was developed in collaboration with Tombazis & Associates Architects, Wirtz International, wh-p ingenieure and Werner Sobek, was presented at a press conference in the presence of the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday 15 February. The project will expand the existing neo-classical building through an extension of its plinth, a gesture that creates two levels of subterranean galleries and a raised roof garden while respecting the prominence of the original museum.

Image © Filippo Bolognese

Following an international competition, David Chipperfield Architects has been selected to design the “final set-piece” academic building in the redevelopment of the London School of Economics’ Holborn campus. The Firoz Lalji Global Hub will be located at 35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields and will include conference facilities, teaching spaces, digital labs, and a 350-seat theatre with the mission to address global issues. The design embraces the ethos of the new centre through a strategy of adaptive re-use. Large parts of the existing building will be retained as part of a commitment to a more resourceful and responsible approach to our future. Continue reading

David Chipperfield Architects’ London office is sponsoring the People’s Pavilion initiative that seeks to empower young people through design. The design competition invites 14- to 18-year-olds from across East London to work collaboratively and in partnership with professional practices to design their own temporary pavilion. The practice has been working with Bruno, Tomi and Zhané, helping them to develop an architectural concept. Continue reading

Following the Suit-Case which was unveiled in 2020, the Case family is the second collaboration between the German luxury bag manufacturer Tsatsas and David Chipperfield. The edition of six bags and accessories launched in summer 2022.

With a design based on the refined and functional aesthetics of Suit-Case, six new items, each a different size, complete the travel case collection. The Case family helps to organise, structure and enhance daily rituals. The bags and pouches are made of calfskin leather, complemented by soft, ivory-coloured lamb nappa leather. Handcrafted in Germany, and of the highest quality and craftsmanship, the timelessly-designed items serve as useful companions for the everyday life.

Photography: Tsatsas

Following the opening of the first prototype store in Washington DC, a second store has now opened in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The project continues David Chipperfield Architects Milan’s successful collaboration with AKRIS, a fashion house that began life in Saint Gallen, Switzerland, a city with a long history of embroidery. Continue reading

In 1999, the Milan City Council began the process of transforming the former Ansaldo factory site into a cultural area. In 2015, during the Milan Expo, the City Council inaugurated the MUDEC, an acronym of Museo delle Culture (Museum of Cultures), one of the buildings that forms part of the masterplan for this City of Cultures. The project was designed by the London and Milan offices of David Chipperfield Architects.

The long history of the project is now told in a book, which has been published by 24 ORE Cultura, the company that manages the museum and organises exhibitions in partnership with the City Council. Continue reading

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has officially opened the Morland Mixité Capitale building in the 4th arrondissemet. The 63,500m² complex, which involved the refurbishment, remodelling and the extension of the former Prefecture de Paris building has been renamed La Félicité Paris as part of the ceremony. The complex is the largest project within the mayor’s Reinventer Paris initiative which aims at reinventing 23 public spaces and buildings to offer a better quality of life in the city. It contains a mix of uses including market rate and social housing, a hotel and hostel, a food market and roof-top farming. It also showcases exemplary solutions to the pressing questions of sustainable urban design and has received several sustainability certificates.

Images © Simon Menges

On the occasion of opening of the Morland Mixité Capitale project in Paris last week, Neue Zürcher Zeitung correspondent Nina Belz spoke to David Chipperfield about the project as well as the Kunsthaus Zürich extension, which opened last year. David Chipperfield elaborates on what makes Morland Mixité Capitale so unusual and explains why it is only with government pressure and a robust planning system that private development can be expected to contribute meaningfully to the city.

The Mayor of London has appointed David Chipperfield as one of 42 new Design Advocates – independent experts whose role is to ensure quality buildings and public spaces that benefit all Londoners. The new cohort will support the updated Good Growth by Design programme, reflecting the importance of an inclusive recovery from a pandemic that has highlighted inequalities in the capital and the need to counter racism and other forms of prejudice in the built environment. The Design Advocates will work on three main objectives: quality, recovery and representation.

This monographic volume compiles articles by German DETAIL magazine. It takes a look behind the scenes, describes processes and shows many photographs and construction details of 23 projects of the office. Third expanded edition. Bilingual publication in German and English.

Publisher: Edition Detail, Munich
Date: 2022
ISBN: 978-3955535834
Hardcover, 240 pages
23.5 x 2.6 x 32.7 cm

The Saint Louis Art Museum is home to one of the most comprehensive art collections in the US and is located in the city’s Forest Park. The original and main building, designed by Cass Gilbert, was built as one of the exhibition pavilions for the St Louis World’s Fair, held in 1904. Five years later it became the new home of the city’s art collection. Significant growth in the collection over recent years, combined with the ever-growing size of contemporary artworks and the need for increased below-ground parking provision as part of the park’s restoration, led to a major new commission to improve the museum.

The new MBA building for the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) is located on the school’s campus near the historic Paris suburb of Jouy-en-Josas. The existing 1964 campus consists of a series of pavilions in a wooded landscape. The original design intent had been compromised over the years, resulting in a campus which lacked focus and was in need of a clear entrance. The new building is the first stage of a masterplan to meet the demands of a growing student body and faculty.