Hagen’s LWL Open-Air Museum has added a striking entrance point to the existing museum grounds. This new structure blends seamlessly with the historical buildings with an internal focus on exposed steel. From substructure to floors, ceilings, and façades, galvanized steel ensures that timeless design remains eternally relevant.
Nestled amidst the beauty of the southwest Westphalian landscape, the entrance building is a central point for visitors and hikers. It also serves as the starting point for an electric tram, poised to make the museum grounds universally accessible.
Minimally invasive and sustainable, the building was designed to harmoniously integrate with its surroundings. Systems ensure that rainwater is returned to the brook. The sloping roof surfaces also provide ample space for photovoltaic installations.
In the selection of building materials, emphasis was placed on their ability to be disassembled into individual components for reuse, recycling, as well as on materials with extended lifespans. Galvanized steel can be found in the steel structure,including the supports and purlins. Press gratings on the ground surrounding the building and in the ceiling are also galvanized, creating playful light reflections.
Galvanized steel also serves as a distinctive design element in the façade. This design aesthetic is seen in the interior along with galvanized details in furnishings and built-in solutions. The architects’ aspirations for longevity are reinforced by the galvanized steel, which adds a characteristic visual appeal to the building, symbolizing purposeful progress.
Flexibility takes centre stage not only in terms of accessibility and sustainability, but also in the building’s design. Despite its sharp angles, it is dynamic thanks to modular elements both internally and externally. A furniture concept developed specifically for this project emphasizes the design elements and ensures maximum adaptability in use.
The interior vividly illustrates how galvanized steel can create a streamlined and modern look without compromising warmth and comfort. The combination of metal with the light European oak wood in a sun-drenched space offers visitors to the historical museum, an opportunity for a forward-looking and optimistic perspective.
Photos © Caspar Sessler
