The architects have achieved a delicate balancing act regarding the urban context. They were tasked with creating a grand entrance building for the Museum Island in one of the most prominent and sensitive locations in Berlin, a building that had to respect the strong architectural ensemble around it, comprising the Pergamon, Neues and Altes Museums as well as the Kupfergraben, an arm of the Spree river, and the now largely completed reconstruction of the Berlin Palace. The building represents excellence on so many levels and this is why the jury selected unequivocally David Chipperfield Architects as the winner of the DAM Preis 2020.
The James-Simon-Galerie is perfectly in tune with its surrounding urban space. It has the power to transform its environment into a new place, which is what gives the building its enduring vitality.
A masterful interpretation, both heroic and modern, that forms a new gateway into the magnificent and historical Museum Island