2020-11-26
Construction work, as at 26 November 2020
Construction of the Reinhard Ernst Museum is still going according to plan. Almost all the walls on the first floor are already standing, while around half of the floor is already covered. Its ceilings will be completed by the Christmas holidays. In the period from 18 December to 11 January, it will then be quiet on Wilhelmstrasse 1, as the construction workers and civil engineers have a well-earned peaceful and relaxing holiday.
On the ground floor of the museum, visitors can enter a room dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Its sheer height of up to 9.45 metres extends over two floors, which means very large exhibits can be presented there. This particular height also involves special requirements in construction. As the image above shows, the space is filled with a large amount of scaffolding material; this construction that has since been extended to the height of the room is required in order to be able to form the ceiling.
The exterior view from the Rheinstrasse shows a scaffolding system that also protects construction workers from falling. The reinforcements and cladding of the walls are carried out from these work levels for the second floor.
More black plastic balls, known as bubbles, will be used during the next few weeks. We had already explained the principle in previous construction status reports. Using hollow objects makes the ceilings lighter so they can be stretched further or supports can be dispensed with. The view from the crane shows the black bubbles that have already been placed in the rear corner. At the bottom right, you can see the previously described (red) intermediate level and the second scaffolding level that continues in the room for the temporary exhibitions.
A forest of yellow heavy-duty supports that can be extended further using a telescopic mechanism, supports the ceiling of the large engineering room in the basement. At this location, measuring more than 450 square metres, numerous devices are housed for the museum’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
The façade work has already been commissioned, which will start after completion of the shell in early 2021. This includes the large glazing work on the ground floor, the vertical slats made of sheet steel and the outer façade made of light granite. (This stone was also used at the famous Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.) You can clearly see the outer skin of the museum on the computer visualisation of the architect’s office below. Incidentally, Tony Cragg’s work of art has been elevated 6.5 metres above the terrace area (above the main entrance) to the first floor, inserted through the still unglazed opening into the building itself and set up in its place. The two-part sculpture then rises up into the second floor.
