Museum of Fantasy
Bernried, Germany
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner

A bold, horizontal design takes advantage of its site

© Christian Kandzia

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Expansive views of the Starnberger See, the lake near Munich in southern Germany, provided the inspiration and program for the Museum of Fantasy. Thus, the design stretches toward the lake like a thread or spine, along which the various building elements are located. From almost every interior space, the visitor can view and enter the lake and natural landscape.

Central to the overall concept and part of the museum's composition is the "Buchheim Total" area. This part of the museum is dedicated to Das Boot author, and museum patron, Lothar-Günther Buchheim. It includes his collection of German Expressionist art, as well as his "curiosities," a collection of personal items referred to as "Buchheim-Welt." The casual, but evocative juxtaposition of high and low art is a major feature of the museum.

Fluid transitions lead from one part of the museum to another, such as from the collections of paintings and other artwork to the so-called Cabinet of Curiosities. Shorter tours of the building can be chosen via the two-story "spine" as well as via a return route through the surrounding park. Slab roofs and multi-leveled cantilevered balconies present sheer, clean horizontal lines above sumptuous wood-paneled exterior walls, while serpentine parapets frame the lower-level exterior walkways. The building elements remain lean and unobtrusive, with trees, the lake, and the play of light and shadow providing the appropriate setting for the exhibition objects.

Location:
Bernried, Germany

Gross square footage:
70,504 sq.ft.

Owner:
Staatliches Hochbauamt München I

Architect:
Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Christophstrasse 6
D-70178 Stuttgart, Germany
V+49.711.60772.1;F +49.711.60772.99
Buero@Behnisch.com

Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner, Inc.
517 Park Row, Venice, CA 90291
V+1.310.399.9003; F+1.310.399.9677.
BBPLA@behnisch.com