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Musée d'Art Moderne

Kitchberg, Luxembourg
Completed 2006

Lead Designer: I. M. Pei

Art museum and cultural center
 

The Musée d'Art Moderne is sited at the edge of Luxembourg's historic city center, on the grounds of eighteenth-century Fort Thungen. The fort formed part of the defensive system that once secured Luxembourg's reputation as one of the most fortified cities in Europe. In 1867 the Treaty of London declared Luxembourg a neutral territory, requiring its ramparts to be dismantled. Portions of the original fort, as well as moats and some underground passages, were revealed during recent excavations.
 
The museum is superimposed on the outer embankment walls that originally surrounded the arrow-shaped inner fort. In the resulting asymmetrical design, based on a pure 45-degree geometry, one side of the V-shaped building is cantilevered over the ruins. The intention is to merge the historic walls with the new building, acknowledging and continuing the rich history and use of the site. Access to the museum will be by footbridge over the fort's excavated moats.
 
The building is clad in honey-colored limestone. The north side, where exhibition galleries are concentrated, is pierced by minimal recessed openings. The south façade, by contrast, is entirely glass, affording views of both the fortress walls and the historic city center beyond.
 
The museum contains 2,900 square meters of exhibit space on three levels. The ground floor houses a glass-enclosed winter garden and sculpture court. These two column-free skylit spaces connect to a central reception/orientation hall, which will be available after hours for museum and state functions. There are, in addition, two levels below grade. The first houses two exhibition galleries, as well as administration and curatorial space, and a 128-seat auditorium. The lower level comprises art storage spaces, conservation labs and mechanical spaces.
 
Fort Thungen itself, immediately south of the museum, has been restored by the Service des Sites et des Monuments Nationaux (SSMN) to house exhibits on the history of the stronghold. In the future it will be linked to the museum by a bridge. The SSMN has closely monitored the project throughout, as the historic city center (of which the fort is part) has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Major Components

725m² central hall; 250m² foyer; 2,900m² exhibition space including 345m² winter garden with café and 310m² sculpture gallery; 250m² skylit pavilion linked by bridge to the main building; 128-seat auditorium; 850m² curatorial and administration space; 310m² art storage space. A second bridge will link the museum to Fort Thungen.

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners services

Full Architectural Services, coordination with associate architect, construction documents and construction administration

Associate Architect

Georges Reuter Architectes, Luxembourg

Structural

Schroeder & Associés, Luxembourg
RFR, Paris, France

Mechanical

Jean Schmit Engineering, Luxembourg 

Electrical

Felgen & Associés Engineering, Luxembourg

Lighting

Ove Arup & Partners, London, UK
Fisher Marantz Stone, New York, NY

Landscape (Parc Dräi Eechelen)

Michel Desvigne Paysagiste DPLG, Paris, France

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