Oberföhring, Germany. It takes less than half an hour to read Remy Zaugg’s book “Der Ort des Werkes und des Menschen, oder das Kunstmuseum, das ich mir erträume”, in which he describes the kind of art museum that he dreams of. However, the reading opens up a whole new world of thinking about the simple elements of architecture and how they relate to the user.
Actually, Zaugg’s vision is already built. It stands in a garden in the unpretentious Munich suburb of Oberföhring. I cycled along this building for quite some time on my way to school. Only after reading Zaugg’s book and a visit to the small art gallery that exhibited his paintings I discovered the magic of this building.It is hidden behind a long wooden fence that runs along a road. A few steps behind, and parallel to the fence is the rectangular wooden box. On top and bottom are two horizontal glass strips. In between the surface is made of birch wood that resonates the birches in the garden, which cast shadows on this surface.
Inside are four rooms that accommodate a private art collection. The lower of the two floors is sunken into the ground, hence the top light is just above the grade level, and makes the box seem to hover over the ground. Just like in Zaugg’s precise, short and crisp text architects Herzog& de Meuron have reduced their works to very few gestures only. Each room is carefully propoprtioned, the entrance is thoughtfully placed, light is filtered perfectly, each element meets the other with details that clearly differentiate them. Wall is wall. Floor is floor. And so on. This little gem of architecture is so subtle and yet simple that it brings the user, and the purpose of the building together. Not more, but also not less.