Alf Lechner Museum in Ingolstadt
With simple means, the architects have converted a run-down inner-city industrial building dating from the 1950s into an elegant art gallery. The building was redesigned to present the work of the steel sculptor Alf Lechner. It contains exhibition areas of 1,000 m² on the ground floor and 800 m² on the upper floor. The existing structure has been simply clad in aluminium on three faces. The north side, in contrast, was opened up, and a two-metre-deep steel-and-glass “showcase” structure was added, allowing views into the exhibition spaces. All internal fittings were removed. For cost reasons, the architect’s proposal to link the exhibition levels via a staircase in the glazed vestibule has not been implemented. The cladding, in silvery aluminium sandwich panels, is distinguished by its restrained details. The 250 mm ventilated cavity to the rear accommodates the existing rainwater pipes that drain the north-light roof. The lines of the doors and gates are almost imperceptible in the aluminium skin; while the ventilation openings and office windows are concealed behind perforated aluminium sheeting.
