Reichel Schlaier Architekten

Description

The German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund is a venerable institution. Having grown and developed over decades, it is a defining element of the city’s collective memory. It is one of the most visited museums in Germany and enjoys an excellent international reputation as a marine science museum and large aquarium. The renovation and expansion project aimed to transform the original building into a contemporary museum. This required integrating building elements and historical layers from different centuries and generations. A sensitive approach to the existing structure was particularly important, as the complex is one of the most significant architectural features of the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, its state of preservation having earned it the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Furthermore, it was a challenge to accommodate large aquariums and their associated technology alongside the museum’s functions within this architectural context. The original aquarium areas were therefore completely renovated and supplemented with a new large aquarium. The greatest architectural challenge in this task – from the competition design to material choices and detailing – was to find a harmonious balance between the historic monastery complex, the later additions and the newly added sections: an architecture that honours the old and coherently complements the new.