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Report: Architectural Museum of the University of Technology, Munich

Founded in 1868 for the training of future architects, the collection long served as instruction material for the Polytechnic School in Munich, the forerunner of the present University of Technology. At the beginning of the 20th century, the collection was turned into an archive; but without rooms or funding of its own, it soon disappeared into the store of the architectural faculty. In 1975, however, its present director, Winfried Nerdinger, began to transform the collection systematically into an archive and museum, making the almost forgotten treasures accessible again. The financial and spatial situation remained problematic, but by entering into a collaboration with the Municipal Museum of Munich two years later, it became possible for the Architectural Museum to stage comprehensive exhibitions.

Report: Architectural Museum of the University of Technology, Munich
© Frank Kaltenbach

As part of the architectural faculty of the university, the museum has concentrated on scientific and didactic work, and it is able to undertake large-scale research projects. The main focus of the collection is German architecture from the 18th to the 20th centuries. In addition to the estates of Balthasar Neumann, Carl von Fischer and Richard Riemerschmid, projects by modern architects are also represented. With more than 350,000 drawings, 100,000 photos and 500 models, casts, sculptures and architectural treatises, the collection is an important source of material for architects, art historians and conservators.

In September this year, the Architectural Museum will move into its new quarters in the Pinakothek der Moderne, the new state gallery for modern art, which is at present nearing completion. That will mark the end of a long odyssey, in the course of which the museum has realized many successful exhibitions in other European institutions. Nerdinger sees the new 600 m2 premises, situated in close proximity to other art galleries, as an opportunity to reach non-architects: “Architectural exhibitions are usually addressed to a specialist audience. We want visitors to enjoy themselves in exploring architecture. Through models and simulations of buildings and spaces, the layman can come to understand architectural questions.” State funding of the building arts in Germany has been a neglected area hitherto, a situation that the director now hopes to change. As a result of the collaboration with the city of Munich, the work of the Architectural Museum has tended to concentrate on Bavarian themes. The inaugural exhibition, “Space and Construction in 20th-Century Architecture”, will extend the view beyond the state boundaries. Following this, an exhibition on Gottfried Semper will reveal the European dimension of the collection.

The new building by Stefan Braunfels will also house a number of other collections that are at present scattered about Munich. Situated in close proximity to the Alte Pinakothek, the Neue Pinakothek, the Glyptothek and other important galleries, the new development will extend the city’s arts district, which is rivalled in density only by that in Berlin. Spatially the new building is distinguished by its openness and flexibility. The various resident institutions will be able to stage temporary exhibitions – either jointly or in rotation – in two halls.

Gallery

  • The new seven-storey building on Hohlstrasse in Zurich will comprise a ground floor with retail space and public service areas, and five upper floors with commercial space.

    Railway Tracks as a Supporting Structure - How Does That Work? 

    Around 180 kilometres of track are replaced every year on the Swiss rail network. Until now, all this scrap metal has been melted down. However, the first building with a steel framework made from recycled rails will soon be constructed in western Zurich.

  • Landscape architect Line Ramstad is the new chief curator of the Oslo Triennale.

    „One Size Does Not Fit All" 

    Facades made from waste wool, recycled steel from decommissioned ships, housing rather than investment property: Line Ramstad, chief curator of the Oslo Triennale, shows what happens when nature takes precedence.

  • Paul Van Ostaijen Culture Campus in Leuven

    Lava architecten transformed an old mission building in Leuven into a place where circus arts, music, theatre, and dance coexist under one shared roof. Effective soundproofing is the precondition for the shared use of the facility.

  • Even though the main exhibition pavilion in the Giardini was closed, the 2025 Architecture Biennale featured more exhibits than ever before.

    Self-Exploitation in the Celebrity Circus

    At every Architecture Biennale, the curators face the same obstacles: a lack of funding, a great deal of red tape, and an organisation that ignores collective achievements. Why do they put themselves through this? We speak to Albena Yaneva, who spent a year observing the development process of the 2025 Biennale.

  • A vision for the future of Barcelona: Boltshauser Architekten have designed demountable street furniture made from concrete blocks for the Catalan metropolis. The blocks are made from recycled lean-mix concrete layers under roads.

    An End to Downcycling  

    In its current form, concrete recycling does little to help climate protection. The CO₂-intensive cement is lost irretrievably in the process. Boltshauser Architekten are working with a consortium from the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain on the Respira research project to investigate how this can be avoided.

  • Stress tests have shown that re-use prestressed concrete slabs deflect significantly less than conventional reinforced concrete slabs.

    Slabs Under Tension 

    Concrete floor slabs have the largest carbon footprint of all building elements. In the past, the material was lost irretrievably during demolition. A Swiss consortium is now cutting standard square slabs from buildings due for demolition and using them to manufacture prestressed segmental concrete elements with a higher structural performance than new reinforced concrete.