-01 Extension Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland

Previous Work: Christoph Felger at David Chipperfield Architects
Project: Extension Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
Year: 2009—2021
Programme: Exhibition galleries, event spaces, café, bar, museum shop, conservation workshops and art storage
Site Area: 0,9 ha
Gross Floor Area: 23.300 m2
Client: Einfache Gesellschaft Kunsthaus Erweiterung, Zurich, Switzerland
Commission: Selected competition
Scope: Stages of work in accordance with HOAI 1–8
Description: The Kunsthaus Zürich Extension forms part of a broader urban composition that establishes the Kunsthaus and Schauspielhaus as the gateway to Zurich’s academic and cultural district. Rather than an autonomous object, the building continues and strengthens an established cultural destination within the city. A publicly accessible hall forms the spatial centre of the project, connecting Heimplatz with the Garden of Art and linking the museum to everyday urban life. Acting simultaneously as an urban room and an organisational spine, it mediates between public accessibility and the protected realm of the collection. The galleries are conceived as a house of rooms, offering diverse spatial conditions while remaining consistently in service of the artworks. An exposed structural frame, carefully controlled daylight and a restrained material palette create an atmosphere of calm, permanence and clarity. The project explores how cultural architecture can balance openness and protection, establishing a civic institution that is both accessible and enduring.

Team David Chipperfield Architects

Partners | David Chipperfield, Christoph Felger (Design Lead), Harald Müller (Project Management)
Project Architects | Hans Krause (Competition), Barbara Koller, Jan Parth, Markus Bauer, Robert Westphal (Project Delivery)
Project Team | Wolfgang Baumeister, Leander Bulst, Beate Dauth, Kristen Finke, Pavel Frank, Anne Hengst, Ludwig Jahn, Frithjof Kahl, Guido Kappius, Jan-Philipp Neuer, Mariska Rohde, Diana Schaffrannek, Eva-Maria Stadelmann, Marc Warrington, Konrad Basan, Dalia Liksaite, Maude Orban, Ken Polster, Antonia Schlegel, Simon Wiesmaier, Ute Zscharnt

Collaborators

Landscape Architecture | Wirtz International nv
Peter Wirtz
Schoten, Belgium

Landscape Architecture | KOLB Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH
Zurich, Switzerland

Cost Planning and Site Supervision | b+p baurealisation AG
Zurich, Switzerland

Project Management | Dreicon AG
Zurich, Switzerland

Structural Engineering | IGB Ingenieurgruppe Bauen
Karlsruhe, Germany

Structural Engineering | dsp-Ingenieure & Planer AG
Greifensee, Switzerland

Structural Engineering | Ingenieurgemeinschaft Kunsthauserweiterung
Zurich, Switzerland

Building Services Engineering | Polke, Ziege, von Moos AG
Zurich, Switzerland

Building Services Engineering | Hefti. Hess. Martignoni. Holding AG
Aarau, Switzerland

Building Physics | Kopitsis Bauphysik AG
Wohlen, Switzerland

Fire Engineering | Gruner AG
Basel, Switzerland