50 | 2

Stuttgart’s Kleine Schlossplatz (Small PalaceSquare) was built in 1968, in an age whenmotorist freedom was the dogma of urbanplanning. It is situated diagonally across from theNeues Schloss, one of Germany’s largestBaroque palaces. Barren and uninviting, thesquare was never much more than a large raisedconcrete platform covering a motorwaycrossing and tram lines, and had been adepressing public and political eyesore for morethan a quarter of a century.

During the 1980s, an investor-ledcompetition put forward an urban designmasterplan by I. M. Pei, but the local communitydid not vote in its favour. In 1993, Behnisch &Behnisch alleviated some of the grimness byintroducing a generous flight of steps which wonpublic acclaim. But the real breakthrough camein 1998 when the City of Stuttgart held aninternational design competition based on amixed cultural and commercial use of the site. Astaggering number of 431 architects submittedtheir proposals. Ultimately, Stuttgart-born (but

now Berlin-based) architects Rainer Hascherand Sebastian Jehle won with a design thatclearly separates the new art museum from anyspeculative commercial development.

Today the rectilinear mixed-use office andretail building plays a secondary role comparedwith the glass-clad Art Cube, which acts as astriking landmark for the museum complex, amajor intervention that has succeeded inmiraculously revitalizing Stuttgart’s city centre.Nothing but Behnisch’s flight of steps remains asa reminder of the old urban condition. YetHascher Jehle’s crystalline landmark is only themost visible part of the Museum – moreexhibition spaces are housed in the formersubterranean traffic tunnels as the architectsskilfully and imaginatively utilize the remnants ofthe old infrastructure.

The building lies on Königsstrasse, the mainpedestrian zone, next to the imposing Neo-Classical arcades of the old Stock Exchange andopposite the Neues Schloss. The galleries atlower ground level occupy a 115m long section

ART MUSEUM, STUTTGART,GERMANY

ARCHITECT

HASCHER JEHLE

1The new Art Cube takes its place in theurban matrix of Stuttgart’s KleineSchlossplatz, helping to revive aformerly depressing piazza.2The crisply detailed glass-clad cube sitsabove subterranean galleries.

URBAN CUBISMSignposted by a glass cube, this museum complex revives a Stuttgart square.

location plan

1 2

arfeb05_hascherjehledone 8/3/05 11:49 am Page 50

53 | 1052 | 2 long section

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:1250)

lower ground floor

1 exhibition spaces2 archives3 entrance hall4 book shop5 cloakroom6 seminar room7 shop units8 lecture hall

3The prospect from the top floor,due to be fitted out as arestaurant. The Neues Schloss isacross the square to the left.4Entrance hall.5Circulation zone between theinner stone clad cube and outerglass skin.

ART MUSEUM, STUTTGART,GERMANY

ARCHITECT

HASCHER JEHLE

3

4 5

fourth floor

first floor

36

1

1

1

1

2

2

7777

1

1 1

5

4

1 1 1

8

2

2

1

1 12 2 2

arfeb05_hascherjehledone 8/3/05 11:49 am Page 52

54 | 2

of the old tram tunnel, directly under the KleineSchlossplatz. As you enter the museum fromKönigsstrasse, the generously glazed 450sqmfoyer is flooded with daylight, its separate shopand espresso bar bearing no trace of what wasonce the entrance to an infrastructural Hades.

Exhibition spaces begin on the ground floor,behind a group of multifunctional rooms, andcontinue 60m down underground. You can peerinto the open circulation area of the lowerground level directly below. Daylight filtersthrough window strips high above, in thepavement of the Kleine Schlossplatz, helping todispel any feelings of claustrophobia in the longcorridors with their neutral whitewashedexhibition spaces. Nothing disturbs these calm,silent caverns of art, not even the noise andvibration of the 50 000 vehicles that rumble dailythrough the tunnels on both sides.

The 1100sqm gallery space above ground isaccessed by a steel staircase that climbs upbetween the smooth outer glass facade and theinner reinforced-concrete cube, clad externallywith rough limestone. The upward journey is anobject lesson in how to hang a glass facade fromthe top while minimizing any obtrusivestructural elements. Engineer Werner Sobekhas performed a miracle of transparency, using

giant glass panels measuring 4.10m x 2.50m, thelargest possible in Germany. Each side of thecube has 56 panels and the homogeneousimpression is further enhanced by the use of asmooth metal seal ensuring a continuous outersurface, so that viewed from an angle, the sheetsof glass appear seamless. On the inside, 600mmthick vertical glass blades strengthen the facadeagainst wind pressure. However, a degree oftransparency had to be sacrificed for the sake ofsolar protection. Imprinted white horizontallines (like blinds) on the outer glass filter thesun’s intensity. So only 24 per cent of solarenergy penetrates the interior, with triple glazedand argon-filled glass panes effectively dispellingmost of the heat.

Given the nature of the building with itsprecious works of art, it is imperative tomaintain constant temperature and humidity.Inside the gallery spaces, 50 to 60 per cent of theheat gain is neutralized by cooling in theconcrete ceilings. The remaining heat load ishandled by conventional air conditioning whichmaintains an average temperature of 20 deg Cand a humidity of around 50 per cent. Taking allthese energy protection and saving measuresinto account, the Art Cube undercuts currentGerman energy conservation rules by over a

quarter – a highly respectable achievement for aconstruction that to all intents and purposesresembles a heat trap.

The crowning achievement of the glass cube isthe restaurant on top of the three gallery floors.Were it not for the 114 moveable multi-functional louvres integrated within the glassroof as a combined shading, cooling and heatingdevice, guests would be sitting right under theopen sky. This fifth level restaurant floor offersthe most spectacular panoramic views of theStuttgart skyline. Kleine Schlossplatz has found anew home, 21m above the old one, butStuttgart’s new social gathering space is animpressive and civilized change from its grim late’60s predecessor. CHRISTIAN BRENSING

ArchitectHascher Jehle Architektur, BerlinStructrual engineerWerner Sobek, Fichtner BauconsultingFacadeIngenieurbüro Brecht PhotographsRoland Halbe

ART MUSEUM, STUTTGART,GERMANY

ARCHITECT

HASCHER JEHLE

6The modern Piranesian depths of thesubterranean gallery spaces.7Looking down to the lower galleries.

6 7

arfeb05_hascherjehledone 8/3/05 11:49 am Page 54