Neue Nationalgalerie Refurbishment

The Neue Nationalgalerie is the only building Mies van der Rohe completed in Europe after emigrating to the United States, and since opening in 1968 it has been regarded as an icon of twentieth-century architecture. After almost fifty years of intensive use, the listed building needed a full refurbishment.

The British design team upgraded the fabric to current technical standards with the least possible visual change. New air conditioning, lighting, security, cloakroom, café and shop were added, along with better access and art handling. Repairing the concrete structure and renewing all services required a deep intervention: in 2015 and 2016 the stone cladding and interior fittings were dismantled, restored and reinstalled in their exact original positions.

The work balanced museum needs against the building’s status as a monument. New interventions stay subordinate to the original design while remaining discreetly legible as contemporary. The project does not offer a new interpretation, but a respectful repair of a landmark of the International Style. It began in 2012 and was completed in 2020.