Kunstpalast

Kunstpalast reopened its doors to visitors in November 2023 after being closed for extensive reconstruction work for three years. Now guests are welcomed by the warmth of Dinesen Oak flooring and staircases.

Museum – Dusseldorf, Germany

Sieber Architekten

Photographer: Monica Grue Steffensen

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Oak Classic — Flooring + Stairs

Curated widths: 150, 175, 200, 250, 300mm

Thickness 22mm Length 1-4m

Finish: Light Oil

Built within less than one year between 1925 and 1926 according to Wilhelm Kreis’ extensive plans, the Ehrenhof contains an ensemble of cultural buildings. 2 existing separate wings previously characterised the perception of the Kunstpalast. The two buildings are now linked under one shared name.

Its art collection can be viewed in exhibition rooms equipped to modern standards.

“When we began planning the new Kunstpalast in 2017, we aimed to ensure that the building, with its different areas, would now become a single museum in a lively urban location. The interior appearance of the building was to regain a unity that is appropriate to the overall ensemble, but without destroying the traces of time.” — Sieber Architekten

The space is designed in a contemporary and fitting manner. It's not simply comprised of a linear arrangement of rooms with clearly defined main and secondary axes. Instead, it's a winding sequence of rooms of different sizes that repeatedly change direction and perspective.

Throughout this layout, carefully chosen highlights can be found, such as the two halls with new spiral staircases connecting the collection floors, the two foyers, and the Belvedere.

“The focus of our interest was to make the Kunstpalast tangible as a building that enters into a dialogue with its outdoor space, from which the site and the building benefit equally. To find the right balance between existing substances and newly added ones. To address and answer the question of how to deal with what previous generations left to us, and contemplate the building's significance for its location and the community in the future.” — Sieber Architekten

Dinesen Oak flooring in curated widths covers 5240m2 of the museum and is also used for the grand and artistic spiral staircases at each end of the collection.

The facade and interior rooms are intentionally opened up to provide visitors with clear directions, views of the Ehrenhof and multi-story foyers, and to add complexity to the building.