Built on Lindner flooring systems: Neues Museum restoration project, Berlin: 2011 DETAIL Prize for David Chipperfield Architects
On 19 January, the 2011 DETAIL Prize was awarded at a ceremony during the DETAIL Gala, attended by some 400 guests at Munich's Nymphenburg Palace. The international prize recognizes outstanding architecture and is awarded biennially by the international construction journal DETAIL, in cooperation with the leading global trade fair BAU. The main prize this year was awarded to David Chipperfield Architects (Berlin) and their partner Julian Harrap (London) for Berlin's Neues Museum reconstruction project, which also involved the Lindner Group and its perfectly complementary flooring system.
On 19 January, the 2011 DETAIL Prize was awarded at a ceremony during the DETAIL Gala, attended by some 400 guests at Munich's Nymphenburg Palace. The international prize recognizes outstanding architecture and is awarded biennially by the international construction journal DETAIL, in cooperation with the leading global trade fair BAU. The main prize this year was awarded to David Chipperfield Architects (Berlin) and their partner Julian Harrap (London) for Berlin's Neues Museum reconstruction project, which also involved the Lindner Group and its perfectly complementary flooring system.
Completed in 1859, the Neues Museum was badly damaged during the Second World War. The rebuilding project involved the restoration of the surviving structure plus reconstruction of the original room layout and interior with new building work. DETAIL editor-in-chief Christian Schittich gave a précis of the jury's verdict: "The architecture's appeal stems from its sensuous use of the material and the tension it creates between the new portions' bold, modern architectural language and the original structure. The project illustrates an entirely new approach to restoration work and is an outstanding and authentic example of the renovation of existing structures."
The Museum and its some 9,000 exhibits were re-opened to the public in October 2009. Since 2003, the historic building had been the subject of a complex restoration project budgeted at EUR 212 million, led by star architect David Chipperfield. Particular attention was given to ensuring an appropriate environment for the ancient collections. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Museum was also subject to strict building regulations.
With some of the exhibits weighing several tonnes, the flooring system is naturally exposed to unusually high stresses. This was the main reason for selecting FLOOR and more® power. Many square metres of Lindner's heavy-load calcium sulphate "FLOOR and more® power YP 44 ST x P" flooring were installed in the Museum. The hollow floor reliably withstands point loads of 20 kN (2,000 kg) and is now used in the Neues Museum as a load-bearing floor for both permanent exhibits and transport vehicles.
The daily crowds of visitors also put an additional stress on flooring throughout the Museum. In the opinion of the building contractor, only » FLOOR and more® power was up to the task.
