Performative museum building: State Gallery of Lower Austria by Marte.Marte Architects

The State Gallery of Lower Austria – at present the only new museum building in central Europe –opened its doors in Krems on the river Danube recently for a pre-premiere gathering. The architecture of the vibrant building, inserted into the urban landscape in a design by the brothers Bernhard and Stefan Marte, was the focus of the temporary opening.

The main characteristic of the State Gallery of Lower Austria is its shape, which is rotated in two directions  – one towards the historical town centre and the other to the Danube. Light-flooded arches mark the starting point in the interior, followed by a circulation system that leads through the four-storey museum building and down to the subsurface presentation area, which forms a link between the new gallery and Kunsthalle Krems.  

The brothers took a particularly painstaking approach in the design of the facade. Following a selection process lasting for months, the architects decided in favour of zinc due to its ductility and energy balance.  Altogether 7,200 zinc shingles in a matte silvery-grey accordingly clad the "dance-like sculpture", as it is described by Christian Bauer, Artistic Director of the State Gallery of Lower Austria, which in its presentation of notable works from the history of art will be assuming an "iconic role for art in the province".

Further information: 

Operator: Kunstmeile Krems Betriebs GmbH

Area: ca. 3000m²

Grand Opening: 25./26. Mai 2019