Technology: Extension beneath the Garden – the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main
It was Johann Friedrich Städel (1728–1816) who laid the foundations for the present Städel Museum in Frankfurt. In his will, he determined that his collection was not merely to be “made public”, but to be enlarged and extended. This far-sighted idea meant that the spaces available have repeatedly proved to be too small to allow an adequate presentation of the works. Two changes of venue as well as two extensions of the present structure (which was rebuilt in the 1950s after suffering heavy damage in the Second World War) bear witness to the history and development of the museum. In order to incorporate modern art in the collection, the Städel held an international competition by invitation in 2007. The existing 4,000 m² exhibition area was to be enlarged by roughly 3,000 m², whereby the greatest challenge lay in finding a suitable location for the extension.
