Deutsches Ledermuseum: Competition results present versatile designs
12.12.2024
The German Leather Museum in Offenbach am Main, which has a unique collection of works made of leather and related materials, is about to undergo extensive changes. The urgently needed structural, energy and content-related renovation of the building was conceptually planned as part of an architectural competition. The jury met on November 18 and 19, 2024 to review and evaluate the 19 submitted designs. The jury was made up of representatives from politics, the administration, the sponsors, Prof. Winfried Nerdinger, member of the Senate, and Dr. Inez Florschütz, Director of the German Leather Museum, as well as the panel of expert judges. This was chaired by Prof. Wolfgang Lorch and included Frankfurt architect Stefan Haub, the Hessian Ministry of Finance, architect Thorsten Kock, landscape architect Peter Kühn, landscape architect, Munich, Mirjam Niemeyer, architect, Zurich, Jorunn Ragnarsdottir, architect, Stuttgart, and Prof. Gernot Schulz, architect BDA, Cologne. In the end, the jury awarded three prizes and two commendations.
Background and objectives
Founded in 1917, the museum's collection comprises over 30,000 exhibits from six millennia and all continents and is an important cultural and historical institution. The structural condition of the building no longer meets the requirements of a modern museum. The aim of the competition was to develop architectural and open space planning designs that combine the listed main building with contemporary requirements, implement an energy-efficient refurbishment and set new standards in terms of accessibility, exhibition design and depot quality.
Winning design: refined simplicity meets functional clarity
First prize went to the Berlin planning team from Rustler Schriever Architekten and Levin Monsigny Landschaftsarchitekten. The design for the museum impresses with its clear, inviting design, which harmoniously integrates the forecourt into the urban space. A spacious foyer connects the old and new buildings and enables intuitive orientation. Visitors are led directly to the exhibition areas on the 1st floor via a large staircase, from which there is clear central access to the exhibition areas.
central access to the exhibition areas. The design also scores points with its flexible rooms and practical storage solutions. Overall, this entry is a cleverly simple response to the complex task, which convinced the jury with its structural clarity and the interior linking of old and new.
Second and third place: Innovative approaches and constructive criticism
Second prize went to Knoche Architekten Part GmbH from Leipzig and Eger & Partner Landschaftsarchitekten BDLA from Augsburg. Their concept combines a sensitive transformation of the old building with modern open spaces. The sensitive transformation of the listed building, the restoration of historic entrances and the successful integration of open spaces in the form of an inner courtyard were positively highlighted. The clear layout, simple load-bearing structure and good internal organization ensure a long service life and the lasting beauty of the ensemble. However, the concept for the areas on the first floor and the open space design of the forecourt were not entirely convincing.
Third prize went to KSP ENGEL GmbH from Frankfurt. One of the impressive features of the design was the clear exemption of the listed old building and the resulting clear separation of the old and new buildings. Despite its many qualities, the design was not entirely convincing due to functional weaknesses such as the entrance situation and the design of the forecourt.
Path to the future
The winning design is to be implemented by 2030. The museum will be relocated during the construction phase. The new rooms of the museum will include a reduced permanent exhibition area, enlarged temporary exhibition areas, a display depot and extended rooms for museum education. Among other things, a museum café facing the forecourt will open up the museum more to the urban space.
During the construction phase, the German Leather Museum plans to continue to present the cultural history of leather as a material with exciting exhibitions and events at an interim location in Offenbach am Main and through cooperation projects with cultural institutions in the Rhine-Main region and to allow interested parties to participate in the renovation process.