Table Of Contentin ∂
Exhibitions and
Displays
Museum design concepts
Brand presentation
Trade show design
Christian Schittich (Ed.) EEddiittiioonn DDeettaaiill
in ∂ Exhibitions and Displays
in ∂
Exhibitions
and Displays
Museum design concepts
Brand presentation
Trade show design
Christian Schittich (Ed.)
Edition DETAIL – Institut für internationale
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Contents
Designing exhibitions and presentations adidas Brand Center in Herzogenaurach
Christian Schittich 8 querkraft Architekten, Vienna 100
Interaction of building and presentation – current museum Baufritz exhibition building in Erkheim
concepts a.ml und partner, Nuremberg 104
Christian Schittich 10
Proper light for presentations
To exhibit – From the spoon to the state Thomas Schielke 108
Ruedi Baur 12
“Freudenhaus” optician store in Munich
AIGNER ARCHITECTURE, Munich 112
Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg
Whiteleys Shopping Center in London
Zaha Hadid Architects, London;
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, London 115
Mayer Bährle Freie Architekten, Lörrach 22
MPREIS Supermarket in Innsbruck
New Museum in New York
Rainer Köberl, Innsbruck 118
SANAA / Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa, Tokyo 28
Edeka Supermarket in Ingolstadt
Literature Museum in Marbach
ATP Architekten und Ingenieure, Munich 122
David Chipperfield Architects, London/Berlin 32
Noise barrier with integrated car s howroom near Utrecht
Museum of Celtic and Roman History in Manching
ONL [Oosterhuis_Lénárd], Rotterdam 126
Fischer Architekten, Munich 36
Exhibition hall in Paris
BMW Museum in Munich
Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal, Paris 130
ATELIER BRÜCKNER, Stuttgart 42
New Trade Fair in Stuttgart
Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart
Wulf & Partner, Stuttgart 134
UNStudio, Amsterdam 52
Show and let show Sustainably designing temporary a rchitecture for brands
HG Merz, Patrick Wais 60 Susanne Schmidhuber 140
“The Rommel Myth” exhibition in Stuttgart
Stylepark Lounge in Berlin
Hans Dieter Schaal, Attenweiler 70
J. MAYER H., Berlin 150
“That’s Opera” traveling exhibition
Exhibition stand “Garment Garden” in Frankfurt am Main
ATELIER BRÜCKNER, Stuttgart 72
J. MAYER H.‚ Berlin 152
“Inventioneering Architecture” traveling exhibition
Exhibition design system or custom design
Instant Architecture, Zurich 78
Günther Röckl 154
Museum pavilion in Pouilly-en-Auxois
Eternit exhibition stands in Stuttgart and Munich
Shigeru Ban Architects, Tokyo / Paris;
Astrid Bornheim Architektur, Berlin 156
Jean de Gastines, Paris 81
E.ON exhibition stand in Essen
Exhibition pavilion for Artek in Milan
avcommunication, Ludwigsburg /Munich 162
Shigeru Ban Architects, Tokyo / Paris 84
Serafini exhibition stand in Cologne
atelier 522, Markdorf 166
Built Identity
Architecture – Design – Communication
Jons Messedat 86
Architects – Project details 168
Authors 175
Audi Center in Munich
Allmann Sattler Wappner, Munich 96 Illustration credits 176
Designing exhibitions and presentations
Christian Schittich
Designing exhibitions and presentations is as fascinating as strategy in recent time. The exhibited objects are thus con-
it represents the current hot topic for architects, interior archi- textualized or grouped according to their topic in order for
tects, and designers. The exhibiting of authentic objects as them to tell a story and create suspense, similar to a good
means of feedback with the physical world or as conveyor of story, capturing the audience. Which path may be the better
interrelations of cause and effect receives special signifi- depends on the particular situation, the subject, but also the
cance, especially in a world becoming more and more com- purpose and function of an exhibition. An art show featuring
plex and full of digital stimuli and manipulated images. This sculptures and paintings requires a different concept than
is, for one, valid for the cultural sector, i.e. the presentation of the history of a region or the presentation of exotic butter-
works of art or signs of the times, but for the commercial flies, an exhibition on the opera calls for a different concept
sector as well. At the same time, within the perpetual compe- than a brand museum for the automotive industry.
tition with the leisure industry, the requirements that exhibi- Electronic media become increasingly significant. Even today,
tions have to meet are increasing in order to seduce the audi- there is hardly any exhibition without audio guides or video
ence or offer a special experience. Architecture marks the projections. For designers and curators, the task arises to
beginning of this process more than once: By their spectacu- adequately integrate these media and prevent digital images
lar visual appearance alone, museums become more and from becoming autoreferential. Or, as a critic once stated, to
more expressive sculptures intended to attract streams of prevent that visiting museums becomes nothing other than
tourists. Simultaneously, the industry attempts to convey cor- “public television”.
porate identity and brand values through strikingly designed As stated initially, the subject of exhibiting and presenting is
brand stores or trade show installations, and to communicate as thrilling as it is diverse. In this volume, a broad range of
a corresponding life style as well. examples, from museum to temporary exhibition, from store
design to supermarket, from temporary exhibition stand to
Designing exhibitions comprises the spatial-visual implemen- comprehensive exhibition hall, is collected and documented
tation of a concept developed by a designer in close collabo- in detail. As far as possible, the involved creators introduce
ration with curators and scientists or marketing experts. Com- and explain their individual concept and the process of its
munication with the observer and/or transmission of mes- implementation in their own words.
sages is a central goal. Architecture, regardless if exclusively
designed for this purpose or already existant, plays a decisive
role in this context. It sets the stage; ideally, it corresponds
to the content of the presentation. Spatial compositions and
proportions, illumination and visual relations can support the
choreography of an exhibition and sometimes provide spe-
cial opportunities. And not least the material selection and
the surfaces created receive special significance.
Each exhibition places the objects on display in a new con-
text and thus reinterprets them. The mode of presentation
significantly influences its message, whether the object is a
painting, an ethnological or natural historic artifact, or mer-
chandise for sale. A carved wooden mask from Africa can be
displayed as a work of art and thus an object of great cultural
significance, or as a marvelous ritual object of an alien civili-
zation. The type of dramatization, the selected colors and
materials, the lighting design, explanatory graphics, as well
as guidance systems, but most of all the individual compila-
tion of exhibits greatly influence how visitors comprehend an
exhibition. A conceptual central theme is of particular impor-
tance in this situation: It can be based on chronology or top-
ic, or be constructed as narrative – an increasingly common
9
Interaction of building and presentation
– current museum concepts
Christian Schittich
1
Who can forget the good, old-fashioned museums? On the In his many museum buildings, Renzo Piano emphasizes that
outside mostly massive, classicist buildings with a majestic requirements of artworks are in his view more important than
visual appearance, they often overwhelm the visitor on the possible architectural escapades. The decisive characteristic
inside by the sheer mass of exhibits, presented in mostly in many of his exhibition buildings is a sophisticated lighting
stuffy rooms and endless rows of glazed showcases. How- concept both in terms of technology and design integrated
ever, exhibition concepts such as these, originating in the into the roof structure. In order to prevent glare, he designs
19th century and up to a few decades ago present in almost ingenious directional systems for natural lighting – sus-
every European metropolis, now more or less belong to the pended concrete louvers for the Menil Collection (1987) in
past. Regardless whether works of art or historic technol- Houston, Texas, or a device comprised of angled glass
ogy or collections of natural history or ethnology are on dis- panels in the Fondation Beyeler (1997) in Basle. For the High
play: The museum as an institution has since developed Museum of Art in Atlanta, in collaboration with engineers from
from an exalted temple of education into a glittering event Arup, he designed a system of nearly 1,000 light scoops con-
environment, “wheeling and dealing” for the attention of a sisting of aluminum sheet metal and oriented to the north. He
progressingly saturated audience. Exterior appearances thus not only achieves continuous, glare-free illumination, but
have become obvious eye-catchers. The more expressive also a pleasantly structured ceiling within an otherwise clear
the shape, so it seems, the better the capacity for self-pro- interior design characterized by restraint – the design is
motion. derived from function and construction.
Frank O. Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao can still be Jean Nouvel follows a different path in design. With the
considered as prototype of this kind of gesture, serving as Museé du Quai Branly in Paris, he has without a doubt cre-
catalyst for an entire region with its remarkable appearance. ated one of the most spectacular museums of recent times,
At the same time, it ignites the discussion on whether equally fascinating to visitors as provoking discussion among
museum architecture may be permitted to take on the lead- them. The grand gesture takes center stage here, especially
ing role in this way instead of serving as an unobtrusive
container of special exhibits. The small literature museum in
Marbach by David Chipperfield (page 32–35) impressively
demonstrates that an alternative is, in fact, possible. With
restrained appearance and avoiding flashy gestures, it is
integrated into a landscape of hills and abstains from super-
fluous gimmicks. Its minimalist expression and the limited as
well as exquisite material selection transform this building
into a true treasure chest for the delicate exhibited manu-
scripts.
Peter Zumthor’s Kolumba Museum in Cologne, similar to the
literature museum in Marbach, is characterized by its calm
nature as well as meticulously crafted details and exquisite
finishes. Its striking impression is result of an appealing suc-
cession of spaces with varying proportions and lighting situa-
tions as well as dramatized views to the exterior through
glazed facades from floor to ceiling. According to his own
words, Zumthor intended “the opposite of the Bilbao effect”,
i.e. a building that was not “part of a marketing strategy”, but
instead the adequate enclosure for a great art collection.
Thus, he designed an edifice that does not take center stage,
but instead leaves space for the exhibits and still provides a
special spatial and sensual experience. 2
10
