32 - Drees & Sommer

MUSEUM REDEVELOPMENT
Städel Museum, Frankfurt: Refurbishment
and expansion in full operation
For decades, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt has attracted art-lovers from all over
the world. But the building has become cramped, with many exhibits hardly ever
leaving the storeroom. A great deal of effort was put into finding a solution under
the motto “Frankfurt builds the new Städel Museum”. Drees & Sommer is supporting
the principal by acting as project controller.
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Visualizations: © schneider+schumacher, Frankfurt am Main
When Johann Friedrich Städel endowed
his collection in 1815, he would never
have dreamed that it would one day contain
some 2,800 paintings, 600 sculptures,
500 photographs and over 100,000
drawings and prints. And he would perhaps
have taken pride in the fact that –
a good 200 years later – the museum
needed its fourth extension.
But Städel’s successors have taken
action. In view of the acute shortage of
space, the Städelsche Kunstinstitut
(Städel Art Institute) is currently expanding
the museum, which dates back to
the 1870s. The project is being supported
by companies, foundations, private
donors and the public purse – to the tune
of some €45 million. Of this, €14 million
are being used for refurbishment of
the existing museum and €31 million for
the construction of the spectacular
underground annex, the Garden Gallery.
200 skylights are the trademark of
the expanded Städel museum. Their impact
is striking, both inside and out
Project control in good hands
At the explicit request of the principal,
Drees & Sommer has been acting as
project controller for the project since
the end of 2008. For the managers
responsible, the Städel Museum
extension is one of the highlights of
their careers. On the one hand, it is
about nothing less than ensuring future
generations access to an important
cultural heritage. On the other, the
experts are also stimulated by the
project’s challenges.
The strict budgetary constraint, the
short construction period and the
complex nature of the work – some of
which has to be carried out with the
museum in full operation – require total
commitment. One of the major features
of the project was high security for
numerous world-famous exhibits.
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