The James-Simon-Galerie, the new entrance building to Berlin’s Museum Island, has been selected by an interdisciplinary jury to receive the Architekturpreis Beton 2020. The prize recognises outstanding achievements in the creative, constructive and technological use of concrete in architecture and engineering. This year 143 projects were submitted from which four winners and four commendations were chosen. It is the third time David Chipperfield Architects has won the prize, following the Museum of Modern Literature in 2005 and the rebuilding of the Neues Museum in 2011.
Various forms of concrete construction and surface finishes define the architectural identity of the James-Simon-Galerie. Large prefabricated cast stone elements with a white marble aggregate were used in the façade, helping the building to blend in with the rich material palette of Museum Island. Carefully designed and high-quality textured surfaces, in particular smooth in-situ concrete walls in fair-face concrete, characterise the interior spaces.
Image © Célia Uhalde